FairVote Washington Endorsement

Honored and grateful to receive the FairVote Washington endorsement!

I'm a strong supporter of Proportional Ranked Choice Voting (PRCV) because I believe it can bridge societal divides by allowing us to focus more on substantive issues rather than political rhetoric. RCV has the power to transform our political landscape in meaningful ways:

Breaking the Lesser-of-Two-Evils Trap by allowing voters to express their true preferences without fear of "wasting" their vote. Instead of being forced to choose between two major candidates, voters can rank candidates who genuinely represent their views on specific issues—knowing their vote will transfer if their first choice doesn't win. This creates a strong incentive for more issue-focused or ideologically distinct candidates, giving diverse viewpoints actual electoral visibility and viability rather than forcing them into compromise positions within major parties.

Reducing Negative Campaigning. When candidates compete for second and third-place rankings, they must appeal beyond their base. This incentivizes positive policy discussions over personal attacks, creating more substantive campaigns focused on governing solutions. The electoral conversation becomes more substantive and policy-focused, allowing voters to evaluate the actual merits of different approaches to governance.

Empowering Underrepresented Communities. PRCV enables coalition-building across shared values rather than forcing alignment with broad party platforms. Communities can support candidates who specifically champion their concerns—whether on economic justice, environmental issues, or civil rights—while still maintaining influence through ranked preferences. This allows underrepresented groups to form strategic alliances with others who share specific policy goals, giving them collective electoral power even when they're minorities within traditional party structures. Instead of being absorbed into larger coalitions where their voices get diluted, these communities can maintain distinct representation while building bridges on common ground.

Ensuring Proportional Representation. PRCV eliminates vote-splitting by electing multiple representatives proportionally rather than forcing all voters to converge on a single winner. In traditional single-winner elections, voters with similar preferences who support different candidates end up canceling each other out. With PRCV's multi-winner system, voters can rank candidates who share their values without strategic concerns—if their community represents 30% of the electorate, they can elect roughly 30% of the representatives. This means aligned voters don't have to coordinate behind just one candidate to avoid splitting their influence; instead, their collective preferences naturally translate into proportional representation across multiple seats.

The result? A political system that encourages transparency, rewards issue-focused candidates, and gives diverse viewpoints actual electoral viability. PRCV doesn't just change how we vote—it changes how candidates campaign and govern.