America in Solidarity endorses Instant Runoff Voting

America in Solidarity, your Northwest-based, grassroots workers advocacy organization has endorsed Proposition 3, which will bring Instant Runoff Voting to Pierce County. Let's hope that putting the support of working families behind this initiative will be just the thing to push it over the top.

The great thing about instant runoff is that it encourages candidates to take their message to the people, to communicate via every available channel exactly what it is that separates them from their opponents. No longer will we have to stomach cheesy country club politicians spouting focus-group-tested catchphrases instead of directly addressing the interests of a wide variety of voters.

Some, my Dad included, have claimed that this will further increase the power of corporations and wealthy special interests, as they can afford to pay for more ads to bring out the base and the far-right nutjobs. I totally disagree. I think this will encourage all candidates to be way more real and responsive, with whatever media they can afford. They can't count on the Democratic or Republican Parties to do all the hard work of messaging anymore. Now they have to take that job on, and hopefully the winner of the first races using this technique will reflect the will of the greatest majority of voters, who got a chance to really understand what it is the candidates stand for.

And everyone in Pierce County who CAN vote, SHOULD vote for this Proposition. It will make life better, I promise.

Categories: Free and Fair Elections, Politics - Local, Local Groups