Hi everyone! January 23rd is traditionally recognized as Ranked Choice Voting Day!

Of course, here in Richmond, VA, that does not mean too much as the political establishment is still squashing Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), despite encouragement for it.

But, hey, don’t let the General Assembly, City Council, and winter doldrums get you down. For it is I, Scott Burger, the pirate king of Oregon Hill, here to entertain you and (counterintuitively to my monarchial rule) encourage grassroots democracy with yet another exciting public RCV poll.

Given yesterday’s RPS announcement, the noteworthy recent anniversary of last year’s water crisis, and ongoing struggles for the ‘unhoused’, what is more important?

1) Fully funding our public schools

2) A reliable, working, public water utility

3) larger homeless shelters

Now, I could add as choices a sustainable environment and larger rainy (sleety? snowy) day emergency fund, but let’s not get too crazy or hopeful. Let’s keep it relatively simple. This is not a mayor’s race.

After all, we are supposed to be beginning a new City budget process…

Remember, with ranked choice voting (RCV), you are allowed to vote for more than one choice, but you need to rank them.

Also remember that the political establishment (and their corporate masters) will not allow an all-of-the-above choice as it wants large corporations and tourism to get a steady stream of taxpayer dollars in the form of tax breaks and subsidies. LIVE Nation and New Market Corporation were not going to build their new riverfront amphitheater by themselves (or were they?). Co-Star was not going to incentivize itself, now was it? Otherwise VCU might not have received their money. The corporate welfare must continue, according to our current leadership, opportunity costs, public choices, and alternatives be damned.

Remember what I said about keeping the pressure on!

Happy Ranked Choice Voting Day!

Ready? Vote:

I will try to update this post with results later, if I am not thrown into the new ICE facility in Hanover. (Remember, ICE received “only” $14 billion in funding, despite public demands to abolish it altogether. But that goes back to national priorities…)