Cal RCV & Level Up California Co-Host Panel Discussion with Andrew Yang, Rob Richie, and Maria Perez

On Wednesday, February 9th, our panelists joined moderator Tom Charron of the California RCV Coalition to discuss the state of voting in California and our nation as a whole. Ranked Choice Voting provides a unique opportunity to increase voter choice at the ballot box and discourage the divisive political practices that have become standard in American politics. Our three panelists have unique insight into the problems with our current elections system and a passion for solving the crisis of America's ever-deepening political divide.

Watch the event on YouTube:

00:00 - Intro 

07:30 - Intro to RCV & impact on candidates running for office 

31:30 - RCV from voters' point of view 

40:53 - More benefits, including cost savings 

47:45 - The impact of RCV in California cities so far 

59:01 - Increased representation of minority voices 

1:04:09 - Multi-winner RCV to achieve proportional representation 

1:17:10 - How RCV can be adopted at the statewide level in California 

1:25:50 - How multi-winner RCV can help ensure voting rights

Andrew Yang is an author, former presidential candidate, and non-profit founder. In 2021, Yang founded the Forward Party PAC, which has a focus on electoral reform.

Rob Richie is the co-founder and CEO of FairVote, a non-profit advancing Ranked Choice Voting and Proportional Representation across the United States. He is a frequent contributor to publications such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Maria Perez is Co-Founder and Co-Director of Democracy Rising, an organization that promotes democratic engagement and representative, accountable leadership. Perez previously served as FairVote's New Mexico director.