This is the Insurgent Radio Kiosk for Monday, December 30th
Community Commentary
Action Calendar
Matt Rothschild here with the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. Happy to be on the Insurgent Radio Kiosk, and happy to report some good news on the democracy front. On December 11th, Representative Mark Spreitzer and Senator Mark Miller introduced a pathbreaking proposal for changing the way we vote in Wisconsin. Their proposal would enact ranked-choice voting, which used to be called instant-runoff voting. Ranked-choice voting is especially helpful when there’s a crowded field of candidates, or credible third-party candidates.
Here’s how it works:
On your ballot, you get to pick your first choice, like you do now. But then you get to identify your second choice and your third choice. If one candidate gets a majority of the votes, that candidate wins, just like now. But if no candidate gets a majority, then the candidate with the fewest first-place votes is eliminated, and anyone who voted for that candidate then gets to have their second-choice candidate counted as their first choice. This process continues until one candidate actually gets a majority of the votes, which is a good thing. The beauty of rank-choice voting is also that it gets rid of the so-called spoiler problem.
Imagine being able to vote for who you really want to vote for, without worrying about throwing your vote away and thereby helping someone you don’t like at all get elected. If we had ranked choice voting in Florida, for instance, in the year 2000, Al Gore would’ve been president. And last year, here in Wisconsin, if we used ranked-choice voting during the Democratic primaries for governor, when there were so many candidates to choose from. And it’d sure be nice to be able to use it this year, in the Democratic primaries for president. Maine already uses ranked choice voting, by the way, and more and more cities across the country are adopting it, including Berkeley and Cambridge, Minneapolis and St. Paul, and Oakland and San Francisco. We need ranked-choice voting, right here in Wisconsin. I’m Matt Rothschild, and that’s how I see it.
The kiosk brings you commentaries from members of the public. All opinions expressed are those of the speakers. Have an idea for your own two-minute commentary? Go to wortfm.org/kioskcommentary.
It’s today’s Action Calendar!
Due to a recent court ruling regarding inactivation of voter registrations, the Madison City Clerk’s Office strongly encourages voters to verify their registration status. Voters with on-line access may verify their registrations by visiting MyVote.wi.gov. Voters without access to the internet are encouraged to contact the City Clerk’s Office directly to verify their registration status. Phone 266-4601 for information.
Change a life! Become a tutor! Literacy Network needs volunteers to tutor local, low-income adults to improve their English language and basic computer skills. This will enable them to achieve financial security, improve their health, support their children’s education and enjoy a deeper engagement with our community. Training and support will be provided. For more information, visit litnetwork.org.
Planned Parenthood has a wide range of reproductive and sexual health services to keep people healthy, safe and strong. These include birth control, family planning, annual wellness exams and abortion care. There are branches throughout Wisconsin. Call 1-800-230-PLAN for details.
You can make an impact on the lives of senior adults by assisting them to remain independent and living in their own home. Volunteers are matched with a senior and help with light housekeeping or other tasks once a week or bi-weekly. For information, phone Madison Coalition of Older Adults at 243-5252.
The Insurgent Radio Kiosk welcomes your commentaries on subjects of interest to the W.O.R.T. listening community. Commentaries are limited to two minutes. If you’d like to do a Kiosk commentary, visit wortfm.org/kioskcommentary.
The Kiosk is available online at wortfm.org/kiosk.
This has been the Insurgent Radio Kiosk heard weekdays at 5:00, 6:30 and 9:00 AM and at 2:00 PM. With Engineer Alida, I’m Engineer Alida. Submit announcements at least ten days in advance of the event at wortfm.org/kiosk/announcements.
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