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REMIX REMIX: Want the...INSIDE SCOOP?
With our fresh-out-of-the-box endorsements, we thought we'd give you a walk-through of our endorsement process again! ----- Ever been curious about the League's procedure for endorsements? Ever wanted a piece of that delicious democratic pie? Well, here's the INSIDE SCOOP on our endorsement process: Project Vote!
So you know the League does Candidate Endorsements. But are you ready to learn the nitty-gritty details about our Endorsement Process? Climb on board!
First, we have something called the Elections Committee. This is the elections research arm of our organization that is comprised of volunteer Democrats, Republicans, Green Independents, and unenrolled League members. They go through a 2-3 month process of interviewing candidates, rifling through candidate questionnaires, analyzing strengths and weaknesses, and having long discussion on candidate positions on issues. After all that research, (and up to 8 hours of week of work), the Elections Committee makes recommendations on the best candidate for our organization to back in a race depending on: their position on League issues, life and work experience, and how'd they'd bring good leadership and representation in their communities. (It's like a job interview on steroids). Their research is then passed to our members in the form of Endorsement Recommendations. (Do you have your pens out? Are you writing this down?)
Next, we enter the FUN part...where the members get to decide! We embark on what we lovingly refer to as PROJECT VOTE--members with 8 or more League volunteer hours since the last election cycle get to vote on the candidates they feel best represent the League's ideals and membership. Leaguers can vote absentee, or participate in the verbal Project Vote discussion time where they get to hear what other Leaguers, and the Elections Committee, have to say about those candidates.
The voting process for Project Vote is IRV--or rather, Instant Run-Off Voting.
HOW DOES INSTANT RUN-OFF VOTING WORK? Well, in this instance...
1. IRV uses ranked ballots to simulate a traditional runoff in a single round of voting. Voters rank candidates in order of preference. They may rank as many or as few candidates as they wish, with lower rankings never counting against higher rankings.
2. First choices are tabulated. If a candidate receives a majority of first choices, he or she is elected.
3. If no candidate receives a majority of first choices, the candidate receiving the fewest first choices is eliminated. Ballots cast for the eliminated candidate are now counted toward those voters' second choices.
4. This process continues until one candidate receives a majority and is elected.
After Project Vote, the League Steering Committee finalizes all endorsements based on whether these endorsements fit into the League's mission
. The Steering Committee has a right to over-turn Endorsement Decisions if:
--- there is no strategic value in advancing the sentiment of the members
--- there has been a flaw or a case of fraud in the integrity of the process that has prevented a legitimate expression of Project Vote members
--- other factors in the sentiment of the members would put the health of the League in peril
The Steering Committee can overrule an endorsement, therefore making that particular choice a "non-endorsement," but they can't tack the endorsement onto a different candidate within the same race. Meaning: the Steering Committee can't change the endorsements post Project Vote.
After all this is said and done, we rock out our Voter Guides, and the rest y'all know about!
