skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

White House says Elon Musk isn't in charge at DOGE, but 'advising' the president; CA schools brace for harmful cuts to Medi-Cal; Report says AR students still struggle with COVID-19 learning loss; and UT enacts controversial labor union law.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The SAVE Act, requiring proof of citizenship to vote, is moving in the U.S. House. Environmental groups want the U.S. Senate to kill a bill they say falsely claims to slow climate change, and the agriculture industry is concerned about mass migrant deportations.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

Boston Joins National Ranked-Choice Voting Movement

play audio
Play

Monday, August 28, 2023   

The push for ranked-choice voting is gaining momentum in cities across the country, including Boston - where organizers say it will help increase voter turnout in municipal elections.

The system, which allows voters to pick multiple candidates in a race, was rejected in a 2020 statewide ballot - even though it was supported by a majority of Boston voters.

Ranked Choice Boston Executive Director Ed Shoemaker said the system is good for democracy.

"Now you don't have to vote with your head, right?" said Shoemaker. "You can vote with your heart, in a way that it really expresses how you feel, and what type of leader you want to reflect and lead your community."

Shoemaker said organizers have built a strong coalition of community groups and lawmakers behind the effort, but opponents of ranked-choice voting say it's too confusing for voters and can often delay election results.

Local elections tend to have low voter turnout, but Shoemaker said ranked-choice voting would change the idea that votes are "wasted" or that entrenched incumbent candidates can't be beat.

He said it would also increase diversity among candidates and show younger voters that their voices matter.

"This encourages everybody to run," said Shoemaker, "because if people vote for you, if people support you, you're going to win."

Shoemaker said he's optimistic his coalition will be successful based on local support.

At least one Boston City Council member must first sponsor a ranked-choice voting measure, which would then require approval from Mayor Michelle Wu before a home-rule petition is submitted to the state legislature.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.




get more stories like this via email
more stories
AARP Community Challenge grants have helped launch community gardens, which help improve livability for residents in a number of ways. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

AARP Colorado is accepting applications from nonprofits and local governments across the state for this year's Community Challenge grant program…


Health and Wellness

play sound

Town hall meetings start tonight across California, pushing back against congressional Republicans' proposal to cut hundreds of billions of dollars …

Social Issues

play sound

Worker's rights advocates and nursing home providers say Washington has a long-term care workforce crisis, and that inadequate benefits in the …


ALICE data from the United Way found between 2019-2022, the median hourly wage for teaching assistants in Connecticut was $23.38. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Connecticut union organizers are working to get pension plans for paraeducators. In recent years, they have won a flurry of benefits from organizing …

Social Issues

play sound

Some New York members of Congress are trying to repeal bank overdraft fee regulations. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau created a rule …

Women, young adults and those with a family history of depression tend to experience seasonal affective disorder at higher rates. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

If the cold weather and snow have got you down and feeling like there's no end in sight, you are not alone. Nationwide, up to 6% of the population …

Health and Wellness

play sound

New legislation backed by the American Heart Association would require all Oregon schools to have cardiac emergency response plans in place. …

Health and Wellness

play sound

By Tim Spears for WISH-TV.Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service Col…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021