:RCV Petitions for KC: Getting to the Finish Line

[in...@betterballotkc.org]

St. Patrick’s Day Parade: (main) 

 

March 17, Thursday, 11 am start, St. Patrick’s Day. Starts at Linwood & Broadway and goes south along Broadway, ending at 43rd Street.

We'll have volunteers with clipboards (and we welcome more) up and down the route well before the parade starts. I'll be at the end at 43rd street, with a "Rank the Vote" sign.

If you still need to sign or are attending the parade with family or friends or neighbors who still need to, encourage them with one of our clip-board people or come by the table at the end.

You can also get any already-filled petition sheets notarized and turned in with me.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade Warm-up (Brookside)

Moved from last Saturday due to weather. Our volunteers with clipboards (more welcome) will go to where the crowds are. I'll have my sign (no table) at the end and petition sheets can be notarized and turned in there.

April 5 Election

Practically everyone will be a KCMO registered voter and voting in August.

So pick your spot! If you want to have dibs on a polling place you know you like, let me know and I'll get you on the list. We'll be in touch with everyone closer to time. 

Final turn-in day at the Plaza Library: Tuesday, March 29, 

6 PM - 7:45 PM (Large Meeting Room). . 

I'll still be available at other times from my home by advance arrangement.

-- Rachel MacNair

for Better Ballot KC

Voice and text: 816-753-2057

[in...@betterballotkc.org]

We had a fantastic haul of signatures from the two St. Patrick's Day parade, plus other events. People are still gathering from friends, families and neighbors. We're trying to position it so we have plenty of signatures before the event that will get us the most: 

April 5 Election

There will be at least two issues on the ballot, dealing with sewers and health care, along with it being a school board election. This should be fairly high turnout for an April election.

Practically everyone will be a KCMO registered voter, as well as someone who votes in August and gets to the end of the ballot where Kansas City questions are. .

So pick your spot! If you want to have dibs on a polling place you know you like, let me know and I'll get you on the list. If you'd like to do it and just be assigned, let me know. We'll be in touch with everyone closer to time. 

If you're not game for gathering signatures but willing to pass out leaflets to educate the voters, we'll need that done also. Please let me know where and how many you need. 

Final turn-in day at the Plaza Library: Tuesday, March 29, 

6 PM - 7:45 PM (Large Meeting Room). . 

I'll still also be available at other times from my house, notary equipment in hand, by advance arrangement.

-- Rachel MacNair

Voice and text:: 816-753-2057

[Rachel MacNair]

KC mayor Quinton Lucas is everywhere in town, because that's his job. But at the Brookside St. Pat's parade last Saturday, he commented to one of our volunteers that he was seeing us all over the place. Circulating the petitions is making an impression in all the right places. 

We're still aiming to turn the petitions in soon after the April 5 election, so we only have a couple of weeks left - and we still have quite a few signatures to go. 

Final turn-in day at the Plaza Library: 

Tuesday, March 29, 

6 PM - 7:45 PM (Large Meeting Room). 

And if you have but a few, we want those few. I'll be there to notarize them, so do bring ID. 

You can still bring them by my house by arrangement if this time isn't convenient or if you get signatures after this date. 

April 5 Election

There will be at least two issues on the ballot, dealing with sewers and health care, along with it being a school board election. This should be fairly high turnout for an April election.

Practically everyone will be a KCMO registered voter, as well as someone who votes in August and gets to the end of the ballot where Kansas City questions are.

So pick your spot! If you want to have dibs on a polling place you know you like, let me know and I'll get you on the list. If you'd like to do it and just be assigned, let me know. We'll be in touch with everyone closer to time. 

If you're not game for gathering signatures but willing to pass out leaflets to educate the voters, we'll need that done also. Please let me know where and how many you need. 

-- Rachel MacNair

Voice and text:: 816-753-2057

.

[Rachel MacNair]

Final turn-in day for petitions at the Plaza Library: 

Tuesday, March 29, 

6 PM - 7:45 PM (Large Meeting Room). 

I'll be there to notarize them, so bring ID. We've had 30 volunteers working on this, and we add to the number of volunteers we can brag of if you bring in any at all. 

You can also pick up petition sheets here, and/or the cards we pass out, which look like this, front and back:

April 5 Election

We already have 8 people signed up to get signatures roughly all day at the polls, plus another four doing it part-time. But of course we need more. Let me know if you have any time and inclination, and I can sign you up for a specific polling place.

But if what you'd rather do is just have a handful of our cards pictured above, then go to vote and then pass out the cards until you run out and leave, we can arrange that as well. We need to reach this group of known voters as much as we can - people who vote in April are quite likely to come out to vote on our measure when it gets on the ballot.

Deadline

The drop-dead deadline for turning in signatures is Wednesday, April 6. If we have enough by then, we'll be turning them in soon thereafter. I'll be out all day April 5 at an election poll, of course (Waldo Library), but otherwise you can arrange with me to bring them by my house for notarizing and turn-in.

-- Rachel MacNair

Voice and text:: 816-753-2057

.

[Rachel MacNair]

Major progress: we now have just about enough signatures to turn in if every single signature were good. 

Unfortunately, Ballotpedia reports that normally around the country only 75% of the signatures will actually be found on the voter rolls. Our own attempts to find them, since we have a copy of the voter rolls, has shown it to be just about 75% on each set. So we need to get enough signatures to fill in that gap. 

Fortunately, we currently have 18 polling places where 19 volunteers have volunteered to get signatures tomorrow, 9 of them for all day. And of course people coming out when having just voted will practically all be on the voter rolls in KC MO. 

I plan to be at Waldo Library, 201 East 75th Street, from around 7 AM to 7 PM. I'll have extra petitions and explanation cards with me, and I'll be able to notarize for anyone wishing to turn petition sheets in. 

I'll also leave petition sheets and cards on a table on my front porch at 811 Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd, so anyone can pick up a few if need be. 

By the end of the day on April 6, we'll see where we are. If we're ready to submit, we'll announce it. If we're just shy enough that we can get the remainder over the weekend, we'll do that. If all goes well, we should be able to submit within a matter of days. 

If anyone realizes they have any signatures on hand, please be sure to get those to me to notarize and turn in by April 6. I can take them on April 5 at Waldo Library or on April 6 at my house. 

-- Rachel MacNair

for Better Ballot KC

Voice and mail: 816-753-2057

[in...@betterballotkc.org]

By the end of the day after the election, this is the status: 

We're about 40 shy of the minimum we need to turn in. So we need to collect at least 60 more signatures, to make sure of 40 that get verified by the clerks.

Do you realize you have any signatures on hand, or could quickly get friends and family members to sign? Just six signatures is a full tenth of what we need! And of course the more, the better. 

This is the final call, your last chance to get them in. 

Please be sure to get those to me to notarize and turn in to us by April 10. We plan to turn them in to the clerks on the morning of April 11. 

I'll be in from 1 PM until 8 PM this Sunday, so you can drop by without any pre-arrangement. 

 

-- Rachel MacNair

for Better Ballot KC

Voice and mail: 816-753-2057

Address: 811 Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard

[Rachel MacNair]

 

We're turning in the signatures tomorrow morning, Monday April 11. If any signatures you have on hand are to be counted, they need to come in today. 

I'll be available from now until 8 PM this evening, and I can notarize them for you when you turn them in:

811 Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard

-- Rachel MacNair

for Better Ballot KC

Voice and text: 816-753-2057

[Rachel MacNair]

Kansas City, here’s how to elect candidates who represent our community’s consensus 

BY THE KANSAS CITY STAR EDITORIAL BOARD 

APRIL 20, 2022 5:00 AM

For those with a subscription: Kansas City, here’s how to elect candidates who represent our community’s consensus

Kansas City, here’s how to elect candidates who represent our community’... This system gives us leaders with broad support and punishes politicians who lean into extreme partisanship. | E...

Excerpts: 

Kansas Citians could elect their mayor and City Council in a dramatically different way next year. 

It’s called ranked choice voting, or RCV. Growing numbers of cities and states use RCV to increase interest and turnout, attract more quality candidates, and reduce the impact of negative campaigns. 

Kansas City could be next. 

A committee called Better Ballot KC has conducted a petition drive to put local ranked choice voting on the ballot. The group recently submitted petition signatures to the clerk and should learn this week if it has enough valid signatures to force a vote to amend the charter. 

The goal is to put RCV on the ballot in August or November. If voters say yes, the system would then be in place for all city elections in 2023. . . .

Voters need quality candidates, and quality campaigns. Ranked choice voting could help provide both. Better Ballot KC has provided an opportunity for RCV here, and we should take it.

[Rachel MacNair]

Friends: 

 

Good news! Our goal was 3,480 valid registered-voter signatures to put ranked choice voting for mayor and city council on the ballot. 

 

Final count: 3,623 valid signatures!

 

But then –

 

After we had done all the work, the exact same attorney with the KC Law Department who told us at the beginning that 5% of those who voted in the last mayor’s race was what we needed said instead that Missouri state law sets the required number for a charter change at 10% - of all registered voters in the city. Not merely double, but ten times as many. The City Clerk told me cheerfully we had 10 days to get around 33,000 more valid signatures. 

 

I see that it does say so in Missouri laws, but even with the knowledge I couldn’t find anything in writing anywhere that would have pointed me to it. Even our own election attorney was surprised that state law rather than city law needed to be consulted. 

 

But it is what it is. Our next strategy is simple: get the Council to put it on the ballot anyway. We can’t obligate them to, but they can still do it. 

 

We always told them this wasn’t a fight-city-hall project, but a show-voter-buy-in project. On that, we succeeded. We showed voter enthusiasm, and the Kansas City Star showed its enthusiasm too (see their editorial, Kansas City, here’s how to elect candidates who represent our community’s consensus). Council members don’t need to worry RCV is some strange thing that would get a negative reaction from voters. 

 

So while we’re talking to Council members, we need back-up. Before, it would have been nice to have constituents call Council members. 

NOW IT”S MAKE OR BREAK.

 

Here the page where you can find your two Council members, and links to figure which district you're in, with contact info:

City Council Members | KCMO.gov - City of Kansas City, MO

City Council Members | KCMO.gov - City of Kansas City, MO

 

Please call right away! Calling on the weekend is fine - you’ll probably hit voice mail, but that happens often on weekdays too. If Council members have a good number of calls waiting for them Monday morning, with occasional ones coming after, that should impress them. 

 

 

 

Message to Council Members

 

State your name and that you’re a constituent in their district. 

 

Simple message: Please put ranked choice voting for mayor & city council on the ballot.

 

Then ask them to keep you updated on the status of the effort to put it on the ballot. Give either your email address or voice/text number so they can. 

 

Thanks so much! 

 

– Rachel MacNair

for Better Ballot KC

Voice and text: 816-753-2057

[Rachel MacNair]

Friends: 

 

Good news! Our goal was 3,480 valid registered-voter signatures to put ranked choice voting for mayor and city council on the ballot. 

 

Final count: 3,623 valid signatures!

 

But then –

 

After we had done all the work, the exact same attorney with the KC Law Department who told us at the beginning that 5% of those who voted in the last mayor’s race was what we needed said instead that Missouri state law sets the required number for a charter change at 10% - of all registered voters in the city. Not merely double, but ten times as many. The City Clerk told me cheerfully we had 10 days to get around 33,000 more valid signatures. 

 

I see that it does say so in Missouri laws, but even with the knowledge I couldn’t find anything in writing anywhere that would have pointed me to it. Even our own election attorney was surprised that state law rather than city law needed to be consulted. 

 

But it is what it is. Our next strategy is simple: get the Council to put it on the ballot anyway. We can’t obligate them to, but they can still do it. 

 

We always told them this wasn’t a fight-city-hall project, but a show-voter-buy-in project. On that, we succeeded. We showed voter enthusiasm, and the Kansas City Star showed its enthusiasm too (see their editorial, Kansas City, here’s how to elect candidates who represent our community’s consensus). Council members don’t need to worry RCV is some strange thing that would get a negative reaction from voters. 

 

So while we’re talking to Council members, we need back-up. Before, it would have been nice to have constituents call Council members. 

NOW IT”S MAKE OR BREAK.

 

Here the page where you can find your two Council members, and links to figure which district you're in, with contact info:

City Council Members | KCMO.gov - City of Kansas City, MO

City Council Members | KCMO.gov - City of Kansas City, MO

 

 

 

 

Message to Council Members

 

State your name and that you’re a constituent in their district. 

 

Simple message: Please put ranked choice voting for mayor & city council on the ballot.

 

Then ask them to keep you updated on the status of the effort to put it on the ballot. Give either your email address or voice/text number so they can. 

[Rachel MacNair]

Friends: 

The City Council can pass an ordinance to place ranked choice voting for mayor & city council races on the ballot, and we've gotten positive response so far about them doing so. Two have already agreed to co-sponsor the ordinance, one is meeting with us soon, two more have agreed to meet with us time to be determined, and we're communicating with the rest. 

Getting seven co-sponsors is a realistic goal, based on past conversations. If a majority co-sponsors, it passes. 

We always told them the petition drive wasn’t a fight-city-hall project, but a show-voter-buy-in project. On that, we succeeded. We showed voter enthusiasm by reaching the signature goal we were told the reach. Also, the Kansas City Star showed its enthusiasm too (see their editorial, Kansas City, here’s how to elect candidates who represent our community’s consensus). Council members don’t need to worry RCV is some strange thing that would get a negative reaction from voters. 

We'll be far more effective with the Council members if they're also hearing from constituents. Naturally, the more the better. 

Here's the page where you can find your two Council members, and links to figure which district you're in, with contact info:

City Council Members | KCMO.gov - City of Kansas City, MO

City Council Members | KCMO.gov - City of Kansas City, MO

 

Message to Council Members

 

State your name and that you’re a constituent in their district. 

 

Simple message: Please put ranked choice voting for mayor & city council on the ballot.

 

Then ask them to keep you updated on the status of the effort to put it on the ballot. Give either your email address or voice/text number so they can. 

 

Thanks so much! 

 

– Rachel MacNair

for Better Ballot KC

Voice and text: 816-753-2057

[Rachel MacNair]

What's the best method of convincing people to vote for Ranked Choice Voting for KC MO once it's on the ballot?

Have them practice it!

Who are the people we most need to reach with education about RCV? 

People who are already voting - they're the ones most likely to vote in the election about using RCV. 

When is the most teachable moment coming up? 

The August 2 primary - especially the U.S. Senate race in Missouri. Many candidates are on the ballot in both major parties, so someone winning with less than half the vote is likely. The race couldn't be better designed for showing the value of RCV. 

The Parallel Election, August 2 Primary

We need plenty of folks to work the polls, and we have money to be able to pay for a one-day gig - either as pay for the work, or as fundraising for your favorite group. See more information and an application here. 

Kansans and other out-of-Missouri people are welcome (we have several already). Competent kids under voting age are welcome. 

Here are screenshots of the paper ballot we'll give people - one major party on the front and the other on the back (and no way of knowing which is the front and which is the back): 

One side: 

The other side: 

And at the bottom on both sides: 

We have training sessions in midtown, south, and north. You can just show up without registering, but if you want us to have your ballots, ballot box, and other materials there for you, you'll need to register for that. You can also make arrangements to get them another time, but at the session will be most convenient.  

Tuesday, July 26, 7:00 PM 

Plaza Library, 4801 Main Street

Wednesday, July 27, 7:00 7PM

Waldo Library, 201 East 75th Street

Saturday, July 30, available between 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

North Kansas City Library, 2251 Howell Street, North Kansas City

And one final session the night before: 

Monday, August 1, 6:00 PM

Plaza Library, 4801 Main Street

(early because the trainer has to get to bed to prepare for the next day)

And if you're not game for doing this yourself, please think of any of your friends that might, and forward this to them. Thanks!

-- Rachel MacNair

[Rachel MacNair]

Several polling places are covered, and one person is even traveling from Wichita to participate.  But we need to cover as many polls as we can. 

Once we finally get ranked choice voting on the ballot for mayor and city council next April, we'll do all the normal bit of leafleting and knocking on doors and sending out mailers. But when we do, a good 80%+ of the people we reach won't be voting at all. Aprils have low-turnout elections. We'll persuade some to vote that wouldn't have otherwise, but mainly, it will be markedly inefficient. 

Now's the time to get people we know have a habit of voting - many that will vote in April, and more that could be talked into going to vote since they obviously know the drill. 

This project will be the most cost-effective way of reaching people known to vote. If you can take any time at all on election day to help collected survey ballots - letting people practice RCV so they see the advantages - please let me know. 

The remaining training sessions are: 

Sunday, July 31, online

Please hit reply or write in...@betterballotkc.org to be sent the link 

Monday, August 1, 6:00 PM

Plaza Library, 4801 Main Street

(early because the trainer has to get to bed to prepare for the next day)

Our training video for this project: 

Training Video Cut.mp4

Training Video Cut.mp4

Picture from last April 5: me (Rachel MacNair) and Stacy Lake, who was meeting the voters - she's running for Jackson County Executive in the Democratic primary. 

-- Rachel MacNair

for Better Ballot KC

Voice and text: 816-753-2057.

[Rachel MacNair]

Friends --

The Council meets as a whole on Thursdays, and so the previous day, Wednesday, September 14, we need to do a barrage of calls to further prod them into getting ranked choice voting on the ballot next April. We have co-sponsors and quite a bit of interest, but they'll need to know there's public clamor. 

On that day, or in advance, you can find your in-district and at-large Council members and their phone numbers at: 

City Council Members | KCMO.gov - City of Kansas City, MO

City Council Members | KCMO.gov - City of Kansas City, MO

There's also a link there to figure out which district you're in. 

Most people when they call will get voicemail, and most of the rest will get an aide. All we need you to say is that you want them to put ranked choice voting on the ballot for city elections. If you want to add a sentence about the most important reason to you as to why, then that's a nice touch. 

Then text me (info below) to let me know you did, so we can keep a tally of how many called. I'll report the number to everyone in the evening. 

This is a good long notice in advance for a task that won't take but a few minutes and can be done just about anywhere, but we want to be sure of a barrage that day. 

You can also forward this to your friends that support ranked choice voting and get them to call. If you belong to an organization that supports RCV, you can get other members to call that day. 

Thanks so much!

[Rachel MacNair]

Friends --

I've gotten feedback that some people are wondering how well-versed in ranked choice voting they need to be in order to make this call to their Council members. The answer is: not at all. Most of you will hit voice mail, and most of the rest will get an aide, and all you need to do is say you want to see the Council put ranked choice voting on the ballot for city elections. You need to give your name and indicate you're a constituent of their district. Ideally, ask them to keep you updated on the progress and give them contact info to do so. 

And if you want to give a sentence for why you support it, go right ahead, but it's not necessary. We at Better Ballot KC are working on explaining to the Council members and mayor what all the advantages of RCV are, along with all the disadvantages of not having RCV. 

We just need to have back-up -  we're not just a bunch of eccentrics explaining good philosophy to them. We need them to know the public really is clamoring for this. 

Please remember to mark your calendar for next Wednesday, September 14, make the calls, and then text me that you did so I can keep count.

-- Rachel MacNair

Voice and text: 816-753-2057

September 14: Council Call-in Day 

In-district and at-large Council members and their phone numbers are at: 

City Council Members | KCMO.gov - City of Kansas City, MO

City Council Members | KCMO.gov - City of Kansas City, MO

There's also a link there to figure out which district you're in. 

Leave a voicemail or talk to an aide - the message is simple: Please put ranked choice voting for mayor and city council on the ballot.

Then text me at 816-753-2057 to let me know you did, so we can keep a tally of how many called. I'll report the number in the evening. 

I attach two different flyers you can print up and use with your friends, social action group, house of worship, book club - any place people might be interested in participation. One is a full-page flyer, good for posting as well as handing out. The other is a quarter-pager, which would need to be cut up, but is ideal for handing out to large groups. 

[Rachel MacNair]

September 14: Council Call-in Day 

In-district and at-large Council members and their phone numbers are at: 

City Council Members | KCMO.gov - City of Kansas City, MO

City Council Members | KCMO.gov - City of Kansas City, MO

There's also a link there to figure out which district you're in. 

Leave a voicemail or talk to an aide - the message is simple: Please put ranked choice voting for mayor and city council on the ballot.

Then text me at 816-753-2057 to let me know you did, so we can keep a tally of how many called. I'll report the number in the evening. 

Remember to get your friends to call too! And if you're outside KC MO, then get your KC MO friends to call. 

[Rachel MacNair]

Friends --

While the webpage linked below seems to be working fine on computers, we've gotten feedback that for some odd reason it doesn't come up on smart phones when the link is texted. Here's the whole list, to make things as handy as possible for people who know their district:

District 1 (northernmost)

Kevin O'Neill  816-513-6503

Heather Hall   816-513-6505

 

District 2

Teresa Loar 816-513-6507

Dan Fowler 816-513-6509

District 3

Brandon Ellington  816-513-6511

Melissa Robinson 816-513-6513

 

District 4

Kathryn Shields  816-513-6515 

Eric Bunch 816-513-6517

District 5

Lee Barnes 816-513-6519

Ryana Parks-Shaw 816-513-6521 

District 6 (southernmost)

Andrea Bough 816-513-6523 

Kevin McManus 816-513-6525

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[Rachel MacNair]

KC Council member Eric Bunch has told us he has sent the ordinance to put ranked choice voting on the ballot into the KC Law Department for review, So we're making progress for getting RCV for Kansas City MO elections on the ballot in the general municipal election June 20. 

We're already too late for the April 4 primary, but we didn't really want it competing with two tax issues on that ballot. More importantly, we want to use the April 4 polls as by far the most productive place to encourage people to vote yes in June. 

A hearing could come at any time. 

We should get enough advance notice to let you get it on your calendar.  We're satisfied that we have good testimony and could make a good case. But the more people who attend, the better it will be. 

Deadline for June: March 23 Council Meeting

Since the Council has to vote to put it on and will only vote at its regular weekly meeting, that's the last date we could get it on in June. You'll note that's awfully close to the April 4 election and would cause us a real scramble to get everything ready. Hopefully, it will be decided considerably earlier. But we have no control, and bumping up against the deadline is a real possibility. We need to be prepared. 

 

April 4: On the ballot or not, it's the perfect time to educate voters. 

We'll be at the polls no matter what the Council does, but we know there are only so many people that will come out to say what a good idea RCV is - and way, way more that will come out to promote: "Vote Yes on Question X." 

But we have high hopes of getting it on. Please, if you can give any time - hours, one hour, just minutes - please mark your calendars for the possibility of leafleting voters coming out of the polls on April 4 for the June ballot measure. We can foresee that we might have to organize this as a rush job. 

[in...@betterballotkc.org]

Candidate Positions - Kansas City MO Races

We now have the page on our site ready: Better Ballot KC - Candidate Stances on RCV

Better Ballot KC - Candidate Stances on RCV Mayor

As you can see, while all incumbents are certainly covered, and we've reached a good number of the others, we still need more information on many candidates. If any of you know stances taken by any of the candidates running for KCMO city races, or you have a chance to talk to them and you need some of our lit, please let us know.

Plan A is to get it on the ballot in June, and this is still in the works. Plan B will be to have the next Council hop right on it. So we'll need to see to it that all candidates are educated well enough that any of them that win will be helpful. 

St. Patrick's Day Parade & Warm-up

We got loads of signatures both places last year - these two events are perfect for leafletting to educate voters. If we're able to tell them about the ballot measure by then, we will - but since the Council has until March 23 and has procrastinated enough up until now to make bumping up against the deadline a real possibility, we'll need to have many people to leaflet these crowds either way: 

Warmup on Brookside: Saturday, March 11, 2 PM

Main Parade: Friday, March 17, 11 AM

April 4: The perfect time to educate voters. 

We have the list of polling places for this election ready. Please, if you can give any time - hours, one hour, just minutes - please mark your calendars for the possibility of leafleting voters coming out of the polls on April 4 for the June ballot measure. We can foresee that we might have to organize this as a rush job. 

If you want a specific polling place for a good amount of time, please let me know, and we can reserve that one for you. 

-- Rachel MacNair

for Better Ballot KC  

Voice and text: 816-753-2057