Just Implementation Project
Continued expansion of transformative electoral reforms requires their implementation to be perceived as successful. Through this program we partner with communities that have already adopted reforms and are approaching their implementation. Through these partnerships we develop and execute education campaigns that ensure that implementation serves as a tool of democracy transformation, rather than viewing a policy win as the end of the road.
Our work combines the experience and expertise that exists in communities with national best practices to protect those advances in democracy at the local level and to build trust in election processes across the nation.
Phase 1:
Community Analysis
Meet with our partners to assess the potential for collective impact as well as existing capacity and resources.
Phase 2:
Co-creating Work-Plans
and Leveraging Resources
Following this analysis, we develop plans for the voter education effort. If possible,
we leverage resources to
our on-the-ground partners.
Phase 3:
Technical Assistance
and Expertise Sharing
We offer our expertise and best practices to our community partners. Including campaign planning, educational materials, and training curriculum.
How We Approach Our Work:
Where We've Worked
Protect the Win
You had a successful campaign, and passed an electoral reform in your jurisdiction! So, what happens next?
A successful implementation process can mean the difference between a smooth election that lives up to the promises of your campaign and a fiasco that leaves voters and lawmakers wondering if this new reform is worth the trouble. We have a saying that the most successful campaigns end with a successful first implementation.
With this in mind, Democracy Rising, the Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center, and RepresentUs partnered to create a new resource guide to help advocates smooth the path to a successful first election (and beyond!). This first edition of Protect the Win focuses on ranked choice voting (RCV). As one of the fastest-growing electoral reforms in the United States, every election cycle sees new cities and states passing RCV laws. As more people become interested in RCV, advocacy groups have created a wealth of materials to explain how RCV works and how to pass RCV laws. Far less attention has been paid to what to do once that law has passed. This guide exists to fill that gap.
Language Justice
With more jurisdictions around the country opting to implement ranked-choice voting, elections administrators and civic engagement groups need to effectively communicate about how to express their preferences with a new ballot design. More Equitable Democracy and Democracy Rising worked with partners in three states to conduct focus group research in multiple languages. The final reports detail findings about how immigrants view representative democracy, understand the process of ranking preferences, and how to produce engaging voter education materials.
Ranked Choice Voting
When ranked choice voting is used to elect one seat, like a Mayor or Governor, a candidate must earn more than half of the votes to be elected. Below are videos that explain how ranked choice voting works when electing only one winner.
Single Winner RCV
When ranked choice voting is used to elect more than one seat, like a school board or several at-large seats on a council or commission, it is a proportional system. That means voters get representation based on their share of the electorate. Below are videos that explain how ranked choice voting works when electing more than one winner.