Alex Berkowitz
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Request a Presentation
Are you part of a group or organization that would like to learn more about ranked choice voting? We are here to help! We have presented to political orgs, church groups, neighborhood orgs, and senior communities, to name a few. Just request a presentation below and one of our experienced speakers will present to your group, either remotely or in-person. We’re so happy you’d like to spread the word about ranked choice voting.
Please be sure to include the group to which we will be presenting and how we will be presenting (in person or virtually).
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Letters To The Editor
- Chicago Sun-Times Ranked choice voting can become a reality if voters push for it Rebecca Williams & Abigail Drumm, March 26, 2024
- The Trapeze Ranked choice gives new voting option Katie Stabb, March 4, 2024
- Crain's Chicago BusinessSupport ranked choice voting and defend democracy Dan Ashurst, January 11, 2024
- Daily Herald Ranked-choice assures all voters are heard Randy Lewis, October 23, 2023
- Chicago Sun-TimesRanked choice voting will give our kids a future Julie hill, August 22, 2023
- Chicago Tribune How do we inspire Chicago voters to care? Ranked choice voting and independent maps. Abigail Nichols, February 19, 2023
- Chicago Sun-Times Let’s try something different with our elections: ranked choice voting Abigail Nichols, February 15, 2023
- Chicago Sun-Times Ranked choice voting would hold politicians accountable Ervin Olson, December 11, 2022
- Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest Support a referendum on ranked-choice voting Barbara Paterick, November 29, 2022
- Chicago Tribune Ranked choice voting could work in a Lake County community Laura De Spain, November 25, 2022
- Chicago Tribune Ranked Choice Voting could work in Park Ridge Patricia Lofthouse, November 21, 2022
- The News-Gazette Ranked choice voting a wise move James Young, November 20, 2022
- The Pantagraph Ranked choice voting gaining momentum Lila Fehr, November 17, 2022
- Journal & Topics Maybe Mount Prospect Can Try ‘Ranked Choice Voting’ Fay Costa, November 16, 2022
- Herald & Review Change voting to ranked choice Jennifer Myers, November 16, 2022
- Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest Oak Park would benefit from ranked choice voting Tim Mellman, November 15, 2022
- Chicago Tribune Illinoisans have voted to maintain the status quo Michael Kaiser-Nyman, November 9, 2022
- Daily Herald Consider ranked choice voting system Fay Costa, November 4, 2022
- The Daily Northwestern Bade: Evanston should vote yes on ranked-choice voting Ben Bade, November 2, 2022
- Evanston Now Ranked-Choice Voting is Better for Evanston Solomon Lieberman, October 29, 2022
- Evanston Round Table Ranked choice voting will be boon to Evanston, says Daniel Biss Daniel Biss, October 24, 2022
- Chicago Tribune Using ranked-choice voting locally would energize voters and strengthen democracy Alisa Kaplan, October 24, 2022
- Evanston Round Table Election 2022, mark yes for ranked choice voting Galen Burghardt & Jack Cooksey, October 17, 2022
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Statewide Organizer
Overview
FairVote Illinois, a volunteer-driven statewide 501(c)(3) organization that advocates for ranked choice voting, is looking for a full-time Statewide Organizer to work on the front lines of a transformative campaign to upgrade Illinois’ voting system to ranked choice voting (RCV).
Hiring and supervision will be managed by Rank the Vote, which is a national grassroots organization founded by local RCV activists.
This Organizer will be a part of the team to win RCV in Illinois by being responsible for increasing visibility and winning majority voter support for the RCV movement locally. They will conduct smart and compelling campaigns across digital platforms and in person to drive volunteer engagement, grow the supporter base, gain endorsements, and develop grassroots fundraising. Working hand-in-hand with statewide grassroots leaders, the Organizer will harness tools to help drive success at local events and actions, train activists on organizing techniques, and reach growth goals to win RCV for Illinois.
Responsibilities
- Field: Work closely with the statewide organizing team to establish operational priorities and meet aggressive weekly and monthly goals for scheduled and ad hoc voter outreach. Manage, develop and support a field team to grow the volunteer and donor base. Canvass weekly, hitting monthly target goals to grow a supporter list.
- Volunteer Management: Develop meaningful activities for volunteers that contribute to the campaign’s strategic goals. Implement a system for recruitment and training of volunteers. Develop repeatable, trainable processes to boost engagement, online and over the phone, so as to drive turnout for events. Communicate status updates and action items to local RCV supporters. Work closely with volunteer leaders to ensure they are executing movement methods effectively. Train volunteer leaders in relationship, coalition, and organizational building tactics and strategies. Develop and maintain relations with national/state/regional volunteer groups in the electoral reform space. Devise a system for thanking and/or rewarding super-volunteers. Conduct coaching sessions on all aspects of movement methods: from how to run an effective meeting, how to inspire a recruit to action, to how to set up and maintain organizational systems and technology platforms.
- Administrative Operations: Perform operational and strategic planning, training, and administrative duties as needed. Where appropriate, delegate responsibilities to volunteer leaders, inspiring them to act and ensuring the tasks are completed. Develop movement-building plans with leadership including quantitative benchmarks, goals, deliverables, etc. Empower regional field, communication, and fundraising volunteers. Develop and maintain systems to count and measure field-based activities, as well as reporting for all teams.
As Needed
- Communications: Drive communications across email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media channels to educate the electorate about RCV while minimizing opposition. Develop creative strategies and messaging concepts to drive support of RCV that is compelling, timely, and aligned with public polling results and the current news cycle. Create and post news and other content for the website.
- Endorsements/Strategic Partnerships: Cultivate, build, and manage relationships with elected officials, key public figures, and allied organizations for partnerships and social media amplification. Develop and utilize a system for tracking the stances of key operatives.
- Fundraising: Recruit hosts for house parties, on Zoom and in-person, and coordinate invitations. Perform online targeting and list segmentation for ads on social media and other channels. Run phonebanks to dial for dollars/calltime. Cultivate relationships with major donors. Apply for grants.
Qualifications
- Essential Experience: 1-6+ years campaign / organizing experience. Personnel / volunteer management experience. Excellent public speaking and meeting facilitation skills. Written communication skills. Experience with metrics-based capacity growth and goal-setting and moving volunteers from online to offline direct actions.
- Preferred Experience: Experience boosting diversity in organizations. Volunteer training and management experience for 1-6+ years. Lobbying / advocacy experience for issue(s). Mastery of social media platforms. Prior grassroots fundraising experience. List-building and fundraising experience is a plus for issues or candidates.
- Goal Setting/Achievement: Show planned/achieved goals and tracked metrics/accomplishments from past campaign or advocacy work.
- Tech skills: Preferred experience in campaign platforms such as NationBuilder, Slack, NGP VAN/VoteBuilder, MiniVan, OpenVPB, CallHub, Hustle, Relay, GroundGame, EveryAction, GetThru, MobilizeAmerica, Reach, OutVote, Google Suite, Basecamp, and other web-based campaign software and apps.
- Characteristics: Understanding of the Illinois political landscape and the Evanston area in particular. Passion for RCV and a commitment to continued learning, drive, vision, obsessive attention to detail, proven leadership, an unwavering positive attitude and good humor, an eagerness to receive feedback and course-correct. Adherence to an ethos of non-partisan public relations and messaging, including engagement with individuals from a broad spectrum of political views. Exceptional people skills and emotional intelligence.
- Timing: Must be available on evenings and weekends to ensure maximum engagement with volunteers and leaders. Should be open to full time work (i.e., not in school).
- Location: Remote/work from home based in the Chicago area with a current focus on Evanston.
- Travel: Must be available to travel up to 50% of paid time within Illinois to assist state volunteers on an in-person basis. During the pandemic, we have primarily worked remotely 90% of the time. We would like to move towards more traditional, grassroots, direct, in person organizing, as public health conditions allow. Any travel that requires you to be away from home overnight, or significantly outside of the Chicago area, will be reimbursed according to the current IRS mileage, lodging and per diem rates and rules.
- Language: Spanish speaking proficiency a plus
Schedule
Full-Time (Many evenings and weekends required).
Compensation and Contract terms
This is a full-time salaried position at $50,000-55,000 depending on experience. Benefits include short term & long term disability, healthcare, 401K and 29 days of PTO/floating holidays. Part-time option possible for the right candidate.
How to Apply
Send your resume and cover letter to [email protected]
To learn more about us, visit https://www.fairvoteillinois.org/ and https://rankthevote.us/
Rank the Vote provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, or military or veteran status in accordance with all applicable laws. We don’t tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of the above. We're committed to building a diverse leadership team. Women, people of color, and members of other historically underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
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FairVote Illinois is committed to bringing better elections to Illinois
Incorporated in 2020, FairVote Illinois is made up of volunteers who are supporters of democracy, who value freedom and fairness in our elections, and who are passionate about implementing ranked choice voting in Illinois.
Our Mission
Our mission is to empower Illinois voters to be heard, supported, and represented by improving freedom and fairness in our elections through ranked choice voting (RCV).
Why We Do What We Do
We believe Illinois voters should have a greater choice in who represents them, a stronger voice that is heard by those in office, and representation that better reflects their values, beliefs, and backgrounds.
The Problem with Our Current Electoral System
Our winner-take-all system robs us of real choice.
We shouldn’t have to vote against a candidate we want to lose rather than for a candidate we truly want to win.
No one should feel as though their vote doesn’t make a difference in the outcome of an election, and no one should have to accept that things won't change no matter who's in charge.
We refuse to accept this status quo. None of this is consistent with the spirit of democracy.
Click here to learn more about the problems RCV addresses.
How to Join FairVote Illinois
There are several ways you can get involved with FairVote Illinois, from joining one of our many teams or canvassing at events, to making a donation or simply signing up to show your support of RCV in Illinois. Join us for one of our monthly statewide meetings to learn more about the ins and outs of FairVote Illinois and find a way to contribute that works best for you. Click here to view our events calendar and RSVP to our next meeting.
If you'd like to become more involved with our organization click here or send us an email at [email protected], and someone from our team will reach out to you.
Together, we can create a better democracy for all of us through RCV.
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Join The Movement
In ranked choice voting, instead of choosing just one candidate, voters can rank their favorites in order of preference. To win, candidates need to win more than 50% of the votes. The candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated. If you voted for that candidate, your vote goes to your second choice automatically. The process repeats until a candidate wins a majority.
With ranked choice voting, voters are generally happy with the outcome, candidates run more positive campaigns, and more candidates of different backgrounds enter races.Join the movement for voting reform! Add your name to the growing list of people who support bringing ranked choice voting to Illinois, and keep up with what we’re doing at FairVote Illinois.
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Ranked Choice Voting for Illinois
Better Representationwith Ranked Choice Voting!
Ranked Choice Voting allows voters to rank the their choices, which leads to better representation. Places that use ranked choice voting elect more women and minorities to office.
In ranked choice voting, instead of choosing just one candidate, voters can rank their favorites in order of preference. To win, candidates need to win more than 50% of the votes. The candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated. If you voted for that candidate, your vote goes to your second choice automatically. The process repeats until a candidate wins a majority.
With ranked choice voting, voters are generally happy with the outcome, candidates run more positive campaigns, and more candidates of different backgrounds enter races.Join the movement for voting reform! Add your name to the growing list of people who support bringing ranked choice voting to Illinois, and keep up with what we’re doing at FairVote Illinois.
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Ranked Choice Voting for Illinois
Ranked Choice Voting
Saving democracy is as easy as 1-2-3In ranked choice voting, instead of choosing just one candidate, voters can rank their favorites in order of preference. To win, candidates need to win more than 50% of the votes. The candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated. If you voted for that candidate, your vote goes to your second choice automatically. The process repeats until a candidate wins a majority.
With ranked choice voting, voters are generally happy with the outcome, candidates run more positive campaigns, and more candidates of different backgrounds enter races.Join the movement for voting reform! Add your name to the growing list of people who support bringing ranked choice voting to Illinois, and keep up with what we’re doing at FairVote Illinois.
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Ranked Choice Voting for Illinois
Ranked Choice Voting
Saving democracy is as easy as 1-2-3In ranked choice voting, instead of choosing just one candidate, voters can rank their favorites in order of preference. To win, candidates need to win more than 50% of the votes. The candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated. If you voted for that candidate, your vote goes to your second choice automatically. The process repeats until a candidate wins a majority.
With ranked choice voting, voters are generally happy with the outcome, candidates run more positive campaigns, and more candidates of different backgrounds enter races.Join the movement for voting reform! Add your name to the growing list of people who support bringing ranked choice voting to Illinois, and keep up with what we’re doing at FairVote Illinois.
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Thank you for adding your name!
Your support helps us get one step closer to our goal of bringing better elections to Illinois. If you would like to learn more about volunteering, click the button below.
Some things to keep in mind:
- Add [email protected] to your email's whitelist in order to prevent our messages from accidentally going to your spam folder.
- Visit our events calendar to find out about upcoming meetings and events you may be interested in attending.
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Alex Berkowitz 160sc