Why Local League of Women Voters and RepresentUs Support More Choice San Diego’s 'Top 4 RCV' Initiative

Lori Thiel and Amy Tobia join host T.J. O’Hara on Deconstructed to discuss More Choice San Diego’s "Top 4 RCV" initiative. 

Ms. Thiel is president of the League of Women Voters of San Diego. The League of Women Voters is a national, nonpartisan, political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government; works to increase understanding of major public policy issues; and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Ms. Tobia is a local leader for RepresentUs San Diego, a grassroots organization focused on election reform, voting rights, and anti-corruption initiatives nationwide.

Ms. Thiel and Ms. Tobia discuss why their organizations support More Choice San Diego’s "Top 4 RCV" initiative, which is designed to introduce Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) to San Diego elections while expanding California’s Top 2 candidate approach to include the top four candidates. Both organizations see this initiative as a way to enfranchise voters, expand the choice among candidates, and create a much fairer, open, and transparent election process.

These advocates explain how Ranked Choice Voting works and how it improves the current process and addresses many of the more unfavorable aspects of the way elections are traditionally managed. They share how RCV has expanded diversity in elections to which it has been used as well as how it created a more civil election environment and one that is center upon issues rather than personalities.

Ms. Thiel and Ms. Tobia also talk about the importance of expanding from Top 2 to Top 4 in the general election. They also examine how flexible the "Top 4 RCV" initiative has been designed to attract more voters, provide more choices, and better reflect the general will of the electorate.

Listen and learn, and if you live in San Diego and like what you hear, tell your City Council member to put the initiative on the ballot to allow the voters to decide.  On Tuesday, July 21st, 2020, San Diego’s City Council will be considering the initiative for placement on the November Ballot.