E-comment for Chula Vista City Council meeting on June 6, 2023:
The League of Women Voters of San Diego endorses the consideration of Ranked Choice Voting by the Chula Vista Charter Review Commission. There are multiple advantages to RCV, in addition to the winning candidate being likely to be accepted by voters on both sides of the political spectrum. For example, RCV helps ensure that elected candidates have broader support and represent a wider range of viewpoints, since they are inclined to appeal to a larger portion of the electorate. It also reduces the need for strategic voting tactics, (voting for the “lesser evil” of two candidates rather than one’s preferred choice which may be considered a wasted vote). RCV helps address the issue of vote splitting, where two or more similar candidates can divide the votes of a particular constituency, leading to the victory of a less popular candidate. And, RCV has resulted in increased voter engagement and more positive campaigning, helping to strengthen our democracy. LWV has promoted and educated the public about RCV in jurisdictions across the country. In California, the League helped to defeat a bill which would have prohibited the use of RCV in state and local elections.
Ranked Choice Voting is one of LWV San Diego’s priorities this year; we believe it contributes to creating a more robust democracy for voters. We hope the council will pursue a charter amendment that would allow for ranked choice voting to be adopted by the city of Chula Vista.