As many of you will recall, Concord voted overwhelmingly to use ranked choice voting in local elections at our May 2021 Town Meeting. We cannot use RCV until the State House approves it. Our bill was filed in 2022, refiled and had a committee hearing in 2023 — and will die if it is not moved out of committee this session.
Six sister communities ALSO have RCV bills languishing in committee: Acton, Amherst, Arlington, Brookline, Lexington and Northampton (some for over two years). We studied, debated and chose ranked choice voting as the way to run our elections. This is not just about Concord — it’s about the State House ignoring “the will of the people.”
On February 10, the committee is choosing which bills to act on this session, so we need to contact our legislators NOW to ask them to use their influence to advocate on The Hill for passage of RCV. You can either COME or CALL: We’re having an RCV Visit to Beacon Hill Day on Tuesday, January 30 from 12-2. Join us by visiting https://bit.ly/MA2024RCVDay. You can CALL your legislators directly — or with an auto-dial/modifiable script system — here: https://p2a.co/ElpA7n6.
It is in Concord’s DNA to pursue democracy. It’s unlikely Concord will be able to use ranked choice voting for local elections unless our voices are heard at the State House between now and February 10.
Thank you for your unflagging support. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions/suggestions.
Kate Kavanagh
Old Bedford Road