Tuesday, August 26th, 2003, is the 83rd anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
This landmark legislation, which passed in 1920, granted women the right to vote.
The League plans to use this occasion to reflect upon the positive changes and progress
made on voting rights in the past 83 years and emphasize the continued need to improve
our election process.
In light of this need, the League of Women Voters of Minnesota has adopted a
new study, "Change in the Voting Booth: Would an Alternative Voting System
Serve Democracy Better?" The study will evaluate Minnesota's current plurality
(as opposed to majority) system of voting, as well as three alternative systems:
approval voting, instant runoff voting and the Borda count method.
The study is co-chaired by Jane Gilley of the Duluth League, and Marsha Oliver
of the Arden Hills/Shoreview League. According to Gilley, "These three alternative
systems are the most compatible with our current system and would require relatively
few changes to implement. Our study will be limited to elections in which
there is a single winner, such as governor or mayor, rather than elections in which
there is more than one winner, such as city council or school board."
"Each of the four voting systems will be evaluated against a set of criteria
that represent desirable characteristics of an election system. The challenges
include the fact that no electoral system is perfect and desirable characteristics
may be mutually exclusive. How you count the votes in each system significantly
changes the election's outcome." Oliver stated.
Local leagues will study the pros and cons of each system in the spring of 2004.
The goal is to come to consensus and adopt a new position on voting systems by September,
2004.
"The League of Women Voters, founded by women suffragists after passage of the
19th Amendment, has worked tirelessly for the past 83 years as a voice for citizens
and a force for change. League members across the nation continue the fight
to improve and reform our election systems for the benefit of all citizens regardless
of gender, age, or ethnicity. We're working here in Minnesota to make the
system better until every voice is heard and every vote counts," Palmer stated.
