[Sosfbay-news] Proportional Representation and the Town Hall Meeting

[Jim Stauffer]

FYI for anyone who would like to go to the town hall meeting and put in 
a word for proportional representation.

Jim




                CALIFORNIANS for ELECTORAL REFORM


Dear CfER Members:

You have likely heard talk in the news about a group promoting a
Constitutional Convention for California to fix the panoply of
institutional problems plaguing the state. And you may have heard that
part of the process is to hold town hall meetings in various locations 
to gather public comments.

One such town hall meeting is being held in Sunnyvale on July 31.

Whether or not you agree with a Constitutional Convention, or the
organization behind it, this is an opportunity to make public comments
promoting proportional representation. The more people hear about
proportional representation, the concept becomes less foreign and more
acceptable. Even though some form of proportional representation is used
in most democracies around the world, it is still viewed as a foreign
concept here in the U.S.

The more people across the state bring up this issue at these meetings,
the more likely the Convention folks will consider it worth examining.

If you're interested in attending you are requested to RSVP and register
at this web site:

               http://www.repaircalifornia.org

A description of the event follows. Below that are talking points you
may use for commenting. Public comment time is usually held to a minute
or two per person, so prepare to be concise.


Jim Stauffer
Chapter Coordinator, Santa Clara County
408-432-9148

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THE PROGRAM


Hosted in partnership with Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, this
Constitutional Convention Town Hall event will feature panel discussion
and learned commentary from constitutional experts, but most of all, it
will feature your own comments and advice for us as we move forward.

Silicon Valley Constitutional Convention Town Hall
Friday, July 31, 2009
9:00 a.m. Registration | 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Program
AMD Commons Building
991 Stewart Drive
Sunnyvale, CA 94085
Cost: Free

Map:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?city=Sunnyvale&state=CA&country=us&zoom=8&address=991+Stewart+Drive


9:30 a.m. Opening Remarks
Russell Hancock, President & CEO, Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network
Jim Wunderman, President & CEO, Bay Area Council

9:50 a.m. The Need for Reform: A Silicon Valley Perspective
Liz Kniss, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
Richard S. Gordon, San Mateo County Supervisor
Lawrence E. Stone, Santa Clara County Assessor

10:20 a.m. The Legal Path to a Constitutional Convention
Andrew Giacomini, Managing Partner, Hanson Bridget

10:40 a.m. Break

10:55 a.m. The View From Sacramento
Mark Paul, New America Foundation
Robert Cruickshank, Courage Campaign
Derek Cressman, Common Cause

11:15 a.m. Dialogue & Discussion

11:55 a.m. Next Steps, Concluding Remarks
Russell Hancock
Jim Wunderman

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TALKING POINTS


The current system of winner-take-all elections from single-member
districts produces the following defects of democracy:

- A "winner" who may represent only a minority of voters.

- Expensive run-off elections where one group of voters selects the top
two candidates in the Primary and a different group of voters selects
the winner in the General Election.

- Perpetuation of the two-party system, which offers only two choices to
the broad diversity of voting constituencies in this state.

- Oddly gerrymandered districts to provide minority groups with
representation, or to provide "safe districts" to one of the two parties.


All of these serious problems are mitigated by a proportional
representation system using multi-member districts. In practice, this
means a "ranked-ballot" voting system that allows voters to rank all
candidates by preference, and large districts that elect multiple
representatives thereby giving representation to multiple constituencies
within the district.


Other attributes of proportional representation systems include:

+ More voter choices.

+ Broader democratic representation.

+ Not having to vote for the lesser-of-two-evils candidate.

+ No "spoiler" effect.

+ Increased voter turnout.

+ Less expensive elections.

+ Less negative campaigning.