Virtual Magic Show to Introduce Ranked Choice Voting to San Diego

image
Created: 17 Mar, 2021
Updated: 14 Aug, 2022
2 min read

When representatives from the League of Women Voters, RepresentUs, and the Independent Voter Project first met in 2019, political insiders said it would take a miracle to bring an innovative election reform to the City of San Diego that would allow voters to “rank” four candidates in the general election, instead of choosing just one.

In 2020, while COVID was putting the brakes on much of the world, more than a dozen organizations and thousands of local residents formed the More Choice San Diego coalition and came just one vote shy of convincing the San Diego City Council to place the revolutionary election reform on the November ballot.

This time, the More Choice coalition is starting with a mountain of enthusiasm locally, a national support group, and … a magician.

On Wednesday, March 24, at 5:30 PM (Pacific), the More Choice Coalition is hosting its first (virtual) event in partnership with San Diego’s own magician, Derek Ostovani. Ostovani began his career as a structural engineer, and twenty years laters, is an award-winning magician, including being nominated for “Best Trick of the Year” by Penguin Magic. 

The virtual event, appropriately titled RCV Magic March, is open to anyone interested in magic tricks and better elections, even if you’re not in San Diego.

REGISTER NOW! 

At the event, Ostovani will select participants from the audience to perform 4 different styles of magic tricks. When he is done, the audience will get a chance to rank the tricks in order of their most favorite to their least favorite. 

Participants will then learn the “magic” of how ranked choice voting can help elect better candidates.

Ranked choice voting has gained popularity in recent years, with landmark reforms being passed in two states (Alaska and Maine), and in dozens of local elections including New York City. Proponents of RCV argue that, under traditional election systems, voters are held hostage to a “lesser evil” mentality, voting against candidates they don’t want to win, rather than for the candidates they like best.

Ranked choice voting makes this voting dilemma disappear. Just like magic.

More Choice for San Diego

Interested in experiencing the magic of ranked choice voting for yourself? Sign up for the event here!

Latest articles

voters at the ballot box.
Advocates Push for Reform to Stop Partisan Manipulation of Ballot Measures
An Election Reformers Network (ERN) report covering a 13-year period has found that state lawmakers and elected officials are increasingly manipulating the ballot initiative process to block or impede citizen-led efforts. ...
04 Feb, 2025
-
3 min read
Go vote posters.
Virginia Senate Advances Bill to Expand Ranked Choice Voting in Local Elections
The Virginia Senate approved a bill Monday that would expand the authority of local governments to conduct elections using ranked choice voting (RCV). The bill (SB1009) grants cities, counties, and towns the ability to implement RCV for all elections....
04 Feb, 2025
-
2 min read
USAID
What Is USAID and Can the President Abolish It?
The head offices of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) were closed Monday after staffers were told by email not to come to work. It is the latest move in the Trump administration's plan to shut down the agency....
03 Feb, 2025
-
5 min read