To the editor,

No matter who we are or what we believe, Wisconsinites can agree that we want safe communities, excellent schools, good roads, and transparency in government. Representative governance is increasingly compromised, however, by the power of political parties to force our representatives to vote in line with what the party bosses dictate rather than voting for policy that actually benefits Wisconsinites.

Our closed-primary system gives political parties the power to “primary” a representative who will not follow the party line. The party chooses and backs a candidate who will willingly ignore constituents in favor of what the party bosses want. This leads to more extremists being elected, which leads to less compromise and more division.

We need to fix politics in Wisconsin and our solution does that. Final Five Voting reduces the power of parties to deaden your vote, and strengthens the voice of voters in the process. Primaries are open, meaning all candidates run on one combined ballot, regardless of party affiliation. The top five candidates (regardless of party) advance to the general election. Lastly, candidates are ranked in the general election and need more than fifty percent of the votes cast to win. You can learn more about Final Five Voting through these organizations-

https://gro-ww.org/final-five/

https://www.veteransforpoliticalinnovation.org/

Wisconsinites can experience responsive, representative, and transparent government through Final Five Voting. Curious to see how it works? Visit the Bridge the Divide booth and vote in the demo during River Falls Days.

Linda Vivoda-Sadée

River Falls