Aaron Neumann wrote:
(AN) - Weighing these concerns, we should be able to come up with A). More representation, and B.) More consideration for communities across Ward boundaries.
One possibility is ONE city-wide district and 10 CMs, elected through a Proportional Representation (PR) system fully funded by public financing. For example, all political parties get X amount to run candidates for City Council seats. On election day, if the DFL gets 50% of the votes, they get to elect five CMs to the Council. If Greens get 30%, they get three seats. If Independence and Republican parties each get 10%, then they each get one seat. This essentially moves the primaries to AFTER the general election, in which the individual campaigning gears up. In a perfect world these individuals would then be elected using IRV (Instant Run-Off Voting), and IRV eliminates the need for runoff elections by allowing voters to rank their candidates in order of preference and gives voters a wider range of choices within these "after-primary" elections. The downside is that citizens have to initially vote for political parties and not necessarily for individuals. But doesn't that already happen in the primaries now? And under the current system, often we're left with two choices after the primaries from candidates affiliated with the same party (as it happened in the last Ward 3 special election). The upside is that this would equal more representation that is actually reflective (proportional) of citizens' ideological/racial/economic concerns, and there would be consideration for communities all over Minneapolis. The downside is I'm not sure how this math breaks down when its not so neat (more parties, closer vote totals, etc).
Aaron Neumann replies to self:
Any thoughts list on PR for our beloved Minne-Apple?
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