For immediate release: STAR Voting for Eugene is on the ballot as Measure 20-349!

In May, the city of Eugene has the opportunity to remedy the flawed Choose One Voting method America has used since its founding and vote for better voting. Measure 20-349 would adopt STAR Voting for local Eugene city elections and switch us from a low-turnout May primary with a conditional runoff to a single election in November, saving the city money within a few cycles.

In STAR Voting, voters score candidates from zero up to five stars, showing their preference order for the candidates and how much or how little they like them. The two highest-scoring candidates are finalists, and each voter’s full vote automatically goes to the finalist they prefer. The finalist with the most votes wins.

STAR Voting is a shining example of Eugene’s history of innovation. The 2014 Equal Vote Conference held at the University of Oregon hosted election experts from around the world with the goal of identifying a single proposal to endorse for voting reform in the US. After no existing proposal met the minimum needs, STAR Voting was born as a hybrid of other popular options.

“Of the dozens of voting methods I know about, STAR Voting is one of the very best for single-winner political elections. It is undeniably a top-shelf election method, and arguably the best out of all the ones I tested.” – Jameson Quinn, PhD, Statistics (Harvard, 2019)

Over the years, election researchers have validated STAR Voting as an exceptional voting method. It earns high marks in accuracy, fairness, and ease of use. “STAR Voting delivered the highest levels of Voter Satisfaction of all methods tested,” according to a peer-reviewed article. It passes the Equal Vote Criterion, which the traditional Choose One Voting fails due to vote splitting.

“Polarization, glass ceilings, lack of representation, lack of diversity, voting for the lesser of two evils, spoilers, mud-slinging, inflated influence of money in politics, corruption, two-party domination. You name it, it’s either caused by or compounded by vote splitting and the spoiler effect.” – Equal Vote Coalition

STAR Voting for Eugene has a broad backing of endorsements and has already been used in Oregon. League of Women Voters Lane County and the Equal Vote Coalition are partnering to offer presentations to any interested group in Eugene. To request one, email [email protected].

“Until voters can vote their conscience, it's not a democracy!” – Sara Wolk, Chief Petitioner for STAR Voting for Eugene and Executive Director of the Equal Vote Coalition

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:


Contact: [email protected]

Download the PDF of this press release.