Las Cruces: The Dec. 11 meeting of Indivisible LAS CRUCES will give its members a look at two voting options with the potential of making the voting process more fair and practical. The meeting is from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, Las Cruces. Here is a statement from Indivisible Las Cruces:
Greg White’s talk “New Mexico’s Primary System: What!” will be an overview the state’s primary system. As it stands New Mexico’s primary elections are “closed” to independent voters. Plus, voters who are registered with a major political party may vote only for candidates in that party. In contrast, White explains that an “open” primary is one in which voters may cast their ballot for any candidate regardless of political party. White, a politi cal and social justice activist, also has a background in county and state transportation planning.
Ashley Beyer will discuss “Ranked Choice Voting as an Option for New Mexico.” Beyer is the Southern New Mexico Organizer for FairVote, a national non-partisan organization focused on electoral reforms. She will discuss ranked choice voting, a system adopted by a growing number of city and state governments. Ranked choice allows voters to rank as many candidates as they want in order of choice. If the voter’s first choice doesn’t win a majority, those votes are added to the voter’s second choice and so on until a winner claims a majority of the votes.
Both speakers will allow time for questions following their presentations. The meeting is free and open to the public.