Alternative Voting Methods for Better Government

Voting – it’s a right and duty none of us should take for granted or fail to exercise. But lately, it’s been the topic of a lot of debate. From vote-by-mail to voter ID to guaranteeing trust in the results, it seems everyone has an opinion about the best way to participate in our democracy.

But lately the debate has turned to whether there’s actually a better method of choosing most of our elected leaders than the simple plurality method – in other words, the one with the most votes wins. To take the emphasis off the party primary elections and shift it back to the general election, maybe ranked choice voting is the best option. Or maybe a primary runoff is the answer. Or perhaps approval voting would be better.

Join Braver Angels of Montana and Wyoming, the Wyoming League of Women Voters and the Wyoming Tribune Eagle for “Alternative Voting Methods for Better Governance,” a two-part event evaluating the pros and cons of various popular voting methods that might come to replace the “first past the post” system, the plurality system we have now.

Part I will be an educational presentation by experts on voting methods and the democratic process. From 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24, Dr. Kal Munis, Assistant Professor of Political Science, a multi-generation MT native and expert on MT politics; and Matthew Link, a University of Wyoming graduate who has made a deep study of voting methods and is a frequent presenter for Wyoming’s League of Women Voters, will explain what criteria should be used to evaluate voting methods, and how the most popular methods work and differ from each other. Bring your questions!

Part II will be a debate, tentatively set for 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, in which you can participate and argue for and against various voting methods.

For more information, contact any of the following:

Kris Korfanta, Braver Angels Wyoming co-coordinator at kkorfanta@braverangels.org

Tom Brantley, Braver Angels Wyoming co-coordinator at tbrantley@braverangels.org

Janet Sedgley, Braver Angels Montana coordinator at jsedgley@braverangels.org

See you there!

** This event is open to the media upon approval. Media contact: Ciaran O'Connor, ciaran@braverangels.org

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This is a free event brought to you by Braver Angels as part of our mission to depolarize America. Braver Angels is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. We invite you to consider a gift to Braver Angels; all donations are tax deductible. Your support will allow us to offer more workshops and debates with the ultimate goal of uniting America.