The Ranked Choice Voting Initiative Campaign in Fort Collins is coming down to the wire. Campaign staff report that “It is crunch time, and it’s looking close!” The election is on April 5.
The Initiative, led by the Poudre Valley Greens and others, need all hands on deck if they’re going to get the Initiative passed. The request that allies please step up now to get them across the finish line. Failure to pass Ranked Voting at this point would be far worse than if they had failed on getting on the ballot in the first place, and will set back the election reform movement in Fort Collins, in Colorado in general, and across the U.S. as well. And there’s much you can do, even if you don’t live in or near Fort Collins.
You can learn more and hear Poudre Valley Green Eric Fried on the local radio talking with David Sirota about their efforts at this KKZN-AM link. (The interview begins at 12 min. 55 sec. into the podcast.)
You can also read a campaign update from Marc Sanson, Campaign Coordinator:
Sanson writes: “We’re in pretty good shape overall. We have been sending email messages to 16,000 local active voters, and will continue to send targeted emails throughout the next two weeks. We start doing computer-generated calls to 28,000 voters this weekend. We’ve gotten close to 200 yard signs out, and have been distributing campaign literature door-to-door (we hope to reach 15,000 households). And we just sent out a postcard to 44,000 active voters in 27,500 households. This week former Governor Howard Dean published a Soabox in the Coloradoan in support of our initiative, we expect a similar Soapbox any day from state Rep. Kefalas, and Colorado Common Cause last week endorsed and threw their support behind the measure. But there’s still much we need to accomplish.
“Perhaps our most pressing issue is money. If you can possibly contribute at this point, please do – it’s vital! If you have phone lists or email lists, we can send you a sample script to use to contact them for contributions. Of course we also need volunteers to help us get out our remaining yard signs and literature. Ballots arrive tomorrow!, so anything you can do to help out this week would be most appreciated.
Yard Signs
“Yard Signs will be available beginning this Wednesday. Please let me know if you would like one dropped off. Just send me the name and address of where to put them and we’ll get them out. If you would like to help with the yard sign team, let me know that as well.
Literature Drops and Volunteer Work Days
“We are scheduling regular literature drops each Wednesday from 5-7 pm and Saturday from 9-11am. We will meet at the office to do a brief training, assign turf and head out. For those who prefer to make calls or stuff envelopes we will also be scheduling work parties for the same time. Please call me or stop by the office to sign up for a shift. If you would like to schedule a lit drop with your own crew, or want to take care of your own neighborhood, we can get you lists, maps and literature. Just contact me and we’ll make sure you get what you need.
Matching Contribution
“FairVote has generously agreed to give us an additional $5,000 in matching contributions, doubling everything we raise in March. It is important we take advantage of this and leverage every contribution we can in the coming days. The campaign has raised over $15,000 – about half of our goal, and enough to cover most of our basic expenses. But we need much more, and soon, in order to reach as many voters as possible over the next few weeks. Each $100 contribution will allow us to contact 300 more voters by mail or 2,500 more voters by phone. Since that will be doubled, we’ll actually reach twice that many. But we need to spend that money now, in order to reach the voters before they fill out their ballots.
“If you have not yet contributed or can afford to contribute more, please send in a check or contribute online at http://www.fortcollinsrankedvoting.com . Every contribution counts greatly – and now it counts double!
To contribute by mail:
Fort Collins Ranked Voting
Box 125, 749 S. Lemay Ave. Suite A-3
Fort Collins CO 80524
Contribute online: http://www.fortcollinsrankedvoting.com
Find us on facebook: facebook.com/fortcollinsrankedvoting
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/focorv
“Vote Yes on Ranked Voting!”
