Mover: J Mark Barfield
Motion:
Whereas, the Libertarian Party of Florida identifies Ranked Choice Voting in Section II-2 of the
Libertarian Party of Florida Platform as one of “innovative voting methods that increase efficiency and voter turnout;” and
Whereas, plurality voting results in numerous candidates elected in Primary and General Elections with less than 50% of the total vote, including the recent Primary race for Florida Congressional District 19, and the Clearwater City Council Seat 2; and
Whereas, run-off elections yield low turnouts such as the recent municipal run-offs in Palm Beach County which had only a 17.38% turn-out; and
Whereas, run-off elections require all the taxpayer expense and the administrative difficulty of conducting two or more elections rather than one, which amounts to more than $1.2 million in Jacksonville, $410,000 for the City of Ft. Lauderdale, and more than $500,000 for a single Miami-Dade County district; and
Whereas, Ranked Choice Voting reduces the likelihood of vote-splitting and ghost candidates; and
Whereas, Ranked Choice Voting receives very high ease of use and comprehension responses from first-time RCV voters throughout the country from Oregon to Maine; and
Whereas, Ranked Choice Voting offers voters the opportunity to include Libertarian candidates in their ballot choices, increasing our opportunities for election; and
Whereas, the Libertarian National Committee uses Ranked Choice Voting, electing Whitney Bilyeu as interim LNC Chair this past weekend; and
Whereas, on Dec. 20, 2020, the Libertarian Party of Florida Executive Committee endorsed Rank The Vote Florida, the predecessor to Better Ballot Florida Inc, a non-partisan Florida 501 ( c ) (3) Ranked Choice Voting information organization;
Whereas, Better Ballot Florida is merging with Rank The Vote Florida, a non-partisan 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) Ranked Choice Voting political action committee; and
Whereas, Rank The Vote Florida, successfully lobbied City of Clearwater council members put ranked-choice voting on March 2022 ballot; and
Whereas, Rank The Vote Florida successfully lobbied Gainesville city commissioners to unanimously adopt a resolution supporting ranked-choice voting, with the intention of putting ranked-choice voting on the ballot in November 2022;
Now, be it resolved, this 18th Day of July, 2021, that the Libertarian Party of Florida and its body of members call for the state-wide adoption of Ranked Choice Voting in the state of Florida and supports the efforts of Rank My Vote Florida to establish Ranked Choice Voting throughout the state.
