DC LATINO CAUCUS REITERATES SUPPORT FOR IMPLEMENTING RANKED CHOICE VOTING (RCV) IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

DC LATINO CAUCUS REITERATES SUPPORT FOR IMPLEMENTING RANKED CHOICE VOTING (RCV) IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

(PDF Version here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17afGEjy7lQvVVtf9nMM2TwPlksbd2qNS/view?usp=sharing ) 

Washington, D.C. (June 1, 2023) – The DC Latino Caucus, an affiliate of the DC Democratic Party, reiterates its support for implementing RCV in the District of Columbia. We believe that RCV will expand democracy in the city, increase the political empowerment of Latinos, and increase the likelihood of seeing more Latinos in higher office in the years ahead.

In 2021, our Board unanimously passed a resolution supporting efforts to implement RCV, including joining a coalition of organizations advocating on its behalf. We conditioned our support on advocating for multi-lingual voter education to ensure that members of non-English speaking communities would fully understand their voting rights. (View our resolution here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A2srgWQ8uRyUqoa77NGMwA5Iq0Zyu0uh/view )

In supporting RCV we joined the evolution of the national Democratic Party itself, which uses RCV in presidential primaries or caucuses in Alaska, Hawaii, Kansas, Wyoming, and Nevada. In Nevada, 30 percent of the population is Hispanic and there has been no evidence of voter confusion or disenfranchisement. RCV has also been implemented in an increasing number of cities, including in New York and others with large Latino and other minority populations, where there has likewise been no evidence of election irregularities or voter confusion.

Our resolution stated our reasons for supporting RCV, but two stand out. First, research has suggested that implementing RCV results in more people of color, women, and women of color being elected to public office. To date, not a single Latino candidate has ever been elected to the Council, Mayoralty, or other high local office in the District of Columbia—and we therefore must support an electoral effort that can elevate Latino candidates.

Second, the Latino community in DC has long been completely ignored in DC elections, with most candidates not bothering to conduct advertising in Spanish or even create Spanish versions of their websites. When a candidate can win a plurality election with 15 percent of the vote under the current system, reaching out to our Latino community (which constitutes 11 percent of the city’s population) is simply not a priority. We think RCV will encourage candidates to reach out beyond their traditional bases and engage with our community as they hunt for more voters to rank them highly enough to secure victory.

We must and will continue to support efforts that empower the Latino community, elevate our voices, and support our candidates for higher office. We also continue to support efforts to expand democracy and access to the ballot box at a time in the United States when Latinos and other communities of color are being restricted or prevented from voting and electing the candidates of their choice by the Republican Party. The way to address undercounting and voter apathy among DC residents is through more democracy that encourages candidates to engage with voters, not less democracy with small plurality victories that preserve the status quo.

We look forward to working with our Democratic colleagues, advocacy organizations, and other advocates to implement RCV and multi-lingual voter education whether by legislation or a ballot initiative (including the All Votes Count initiative). We also call on DC voters to support RCV as well.

_____________________________

Jose Barrios

President

and the DC Latino Caucus Executive Committee

ABOUT THE DC LATINO CAUCUS

Established in 2005, the DC Latino Caucus is the preeminent voice for the Latino community within the Democratic party and local government. Run by an all-volunteer board, the organization’s primary objectives are to ensure the political representation and participation of the Latino community in the government and civic affairs of the DC metropolitan area. The DC Latino Caucus is an official affiliate organization of the District of Columbia Democratic Party (District of Columbia Democratic State Committee). For more information visit www.dclatinocaucus.org.