Government Administration and Elections Committee Testimony (3/6/23)
Testimony (as prepared for delivery) to the GAE Committee:
Chairs Flexer and Blumenthal, Ranking Members Sampson and Mastrofrancesco, Members of the Government Administration and Elections Committee:
My name is John Board and I am here to speak on the Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) bills before you today. To summarize: I favor Senate Bill 389, House Bill 5087, House Bill 5133, and House Bill 5701; with a strong preference for 389 and 5701. I am against House Bill 5712.
Transparency, Accountability, Problem-Solving, and Electoral Competition are fundamental principles that are crucial to good governance in our state and nation. These principles provide a foundation for why this committee and the assembly should adopt Ranked Choice Voting.
RCV enhances transparency by providing more data than the current electoral system, which can improve our state’s policy-making process. Adopting RCV can foster a more positive political climate, resulting in a more representative democracy.
RCV ensures that electeds are held accountable to the voters they serve, by requiring candidates to appeal to a broad range of voters to secure a majority to win; forcing leaders to focus on problem-solving and solutions instead of narrow constituencies. This improves the quality of the dialogue during campaigns.
Implementing RCV will strengthen electoral competition in our state by empowering voters instead of political parties, fostering a positive campaign atmosphere, and helping to create consensus. When voters have more choices, they pay more attention, and better outcomes occur.
I would encourage this committee to go even further, than 389 (the Osten-Hwang bill) and ensure that municipalities have the ability to use RCV — single transferable vote — to determine the outcomes of elections where there are multi-member offices.
To secure elections in Connecticut, we must upgrade our voting machine tabulators to ensure stronger voter integrity and harden our cyber defenses. Work with Secretary Thomas to ensure that new tabulators can handle RCV and that all voters have the opportunity to be educated on how to use them — at no cost to municipalities!
RCV is a fair and democratic way to run elections, and it’s time for Connecticut to join the ranks of other states already using this system. I encourage this committee, to put Principles First, and pass Senate Bill 389 and House Bill 5701 to give Nutmeggers more choices and more voices in our electoral process!
Thank you and I am prepared to answer any questions which the committee may have.
