“STAR Voting empowers voters to vote expressively and honestly. It's tallied with simple addition, making it easy to administer and keeping the results transparent.”
— Dr. Alan Zundel; Founder, Ranked Choice Voting Oregon; Co-founder, the Equal Vote Coalition
Featured Community Leaders:
Dr. Rosa Colquitt, PhD
Chair, Democratic Party of Oregon
Councilor Emily Semple
Ward 1, Eugene City Council
Ward 6, Eugene City Council
Rep. Zach Hudson
Oregon House of Representatives
Rep. Nancy Nathanson
Oregon House of Representatives
Jamie McLeod-Skinner
US House Candidate, OR District 5
Featured Organizations:
Featured Quotes:
Tom Bowerman — Director, PolicyInteractive
I believe STAR voting may address two critical problems in our voting system: the elimination of the third candidate spoiler effect and improving confidence that we can express our true preferences.
Ammon Gruwell — Founder, Utah Center for Electoral Reform
STAR Voting is truly the Ferrari of voting methods. STAR Voting is the culmination of decades of excellent electoral research and modeling...I think STAR Voting is ready for its breakout moment, and it can't come soon enough.
Jamie McLeod-Skinner — Candidate for US House, Oregon District 5
Voters are looking for better ways to make our voices heard in elections. I support innovations like STAR Voting because it can bring more people into the political process.
Paige Kreisman — former candidate, Oregon State House, District 42
We have to dare to build the world that we want to live in, and I want to live in a world with fair, inclusive, and equitable elections. I want to live in a world with STAR Voting.
Endorse STAR Voting!
Endorsements are an expression of support for the adoption and use of STAR Voting for public elections and an encouragement for organizations to use STAR Voting internally.
If you'd like to have your endorsement featured on this page, please fill out our endorsement form. Organizations that support the fight for the equal vote can also apply to join the Equal Vote Coalition.
 |
 |
STAR Voting Endorsements
We've sorted our endorsements into several categories, each of which you can jump to using the buttons below. Alternatively, you're free to scroll through them all.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Political Party Endorsements:
Dr. Alan Zundel, PhD — former tenured professor, PoliSci, University of Nevada; Founder, Ranked Choice Voting Oregon; Leader, RCV for Benton County, OR 2016; Co-founder, Equal Vote Coalition
I've actively worked for better forms of voting since 2004, having left academia convinced that our democracy was in trouble due in large part to our outdated electoral system. I promoted Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) until I learned of STAR Voting in 2016. After months of careful scrutiny, I determined STAR Voting is not only an improvement on RCV, but a superior voting method overall that should make an enormous difference in bringing our democracy into the 21st century.
Chris Edwards President, Oregon Forest Industries Council; former State Senator, Oregon Dist. 7
If you want action on the issues that you and most Oregonians care about most, I encourage you to vote for an upgrade to the STAR Voting system.
Lisa Warnes — candidate for Eugene City Council, Ward 2
I wholeheartedly embrace STAR Voting; it levels the playing field and gives us better choices. It eliminates vote splitting so each candidate has the same chance, plus it is accurate. It also will eliminate primaries, plus it does not require re-tooling our voting system, so it saves money. I just wish we had it years ago all over the United States. Democracy is going to continue to erode until we have a more fair voting system. This is the step through the door of fixing our democracy.
Joe Berney — former Lane County Commissioner
I support any effort to decrease power politics and increase the voice of the people, which [STAR Voting] is designed to do.
Clay Shentrup — co-founder and former Chair of the Center for Election Science
STAR Voting is the solution to our increasingly polarized and fractured electorate. When voters are free to independently evaluate all the candidates they wish to, they're able to think outside the box and beyond the traditional labels. Our current system of choosing only a single candidate provides the least information possible—and often that one morsel of information is inaccurate because we're afraid to 'waste our vote' on a candidate who hasn't proven their 'electability' with big fundraising success or establishment accolades. STAR Voting is a simple and intuitive way for voters to express their political views. A zero to five score empowers you to say who is excellent, mediocre, or simply unfit for office. The automatic runoff ensures true majority support and incentivizes voters to state their honest opinion. As an Oregonian, I'm excited about the prospect of Oregon voters introducing STAR voting to the world.
Sara Wolk; Executive Director - Equal Vote Coalition; Chief Petitioner - STAR Voting for Eugene
Until voters can vote their conscience, it's not a democracy!
Ted M. Coopman — candidate for Eugene City Council, Ward 1; Lecturer Emeritus, San Jose State University
I support STAR Voting because elections should be for the individual we want most, not to stop the person we want least. Defending voting degrades the democratic process and breeds cynicism and apathy. The most extreme wings of our two big parties decide who everyone gets to choose from and no third-party or independent candidate has a chance. We can do better. Vote for voting your conscience, not your fear. Vote for STAR Voting.
Benjamin Singer — CEO, Respect Voters
STAR Voting is a fantastic idea to better represent voters.
Jacob Trewe — former Chair, Eugene-Springfield Democratic Socialists of America
STAR Voting is a better way to reflect the electoral will of our community. As democratic socialists, we believe that we must build a society and economy that meets all human needs, not to just make profits for a few. STAR Voting allows for Eugenians to vote their conscience without feeling like their votes are wasted. A voting system that increases participation is worthwhile and our chapter supports this measure.
Julia DeGraw — Coalition Director, Oregon League of Conservation Voters; former candidate, Portland City Commission
I support STAR Voting because it creates a more level playing field for candidates and will respect the will of the voters.
Mark Frohnmayer — Founder, Arcimoto; Founder, Equal Vote Coalition; co-inventor of STAR Voting
It appears clear to almost everybody right now that our political process is broken. STAR Voting was created to address a fundamental root of the brokenness, namely an inequality of the voting franchise itself. We believe Eugene can lead the way for the nation and the world with a truly representative voting method.
Dr. Jameson Quinn — PhD, Statistics (Harvard, 2019); former Vice Chair of the Center for Election Science; Board Director, Equal Vote Coalition
Of the dozens of voting methods I know about, STAR Voting is one of the very best for single-winner political elections. It is undeniably a top-shelf election method, and arguably the best out of all the ones I tested.
Emily Vltavín — BS, Mathematics and Computer Science, Truman State University
As a mathematician, I am deeply impressed by STAR Voting's ability to incentivize honest voting. It will be a powerful force in dissolving the stranglehold that the current 2-party system has on our political landscape, and I for one am ecstatic about that more representative future.
Alan Savage President, California Approves
Approval Voting and STAR Voting make your vote more powerful. Candidates have to fight for everyone’s vote, not just a fanatical minority. That means representatives that better reflect your values and respond to you.
Felix Sargent — former Chair, Center for Election Science
[STAR Voting is] dramatically better than our current Choose One Voting method that leads to vote splitting, and is simpler and more effective than Ranked Choice Voting. STAR voting has been studied by social choice theorists and carries the best of Score and Approval Voting, while using an automatic runoff to encourage voters to highlight their true favorite vs good enough. STAR Voting collects a high resolution snapshot of voters' opinions about all candidates on the ballot and uses that data to fairly elect a consensus candidate. It’s resilient against vote splitting and aligns voters expectations with their incentives.
Margie Trifari — former State Leader, RepresentUs Oregon
Too often, elections end with a winner by a plurality of votes, leaving more than half the people with a choice that does not please them. STAR Voting makes sure that the winner is someone that meets the approval of the majority of voters from all parties.
Hayden “Sass” Sasswood — former candidate for US House, TX-35; Board Director, Equal Vote Coalition
Most single-winner voting methods are really great and I'd be happy to use many of them, even for public elections, but if I was forced to pick just one, it might have to be STAR Voting. There are a ton of important considerations to balance and I think STAR just barely hits the mark on all of them, which is something I probably can't comfortably say about any other method.
Dr. Keith Edmonds — PhD, High Energy Physics; former Physicist at CERN; Principal Data Scientist at QuantumBlack; Board Director, Equal Vote Coalition
STAR Voting is my first choice for any single-winner race. No other voting method balances all the trade-offs of desirable features as well as STAR Voting.
James Carroll — National Chair, Benjamin Franklin Party
When America was founded in the 1700s, our current voting method (plurality voting) was state-of-the-art. Humans have learned a lot about elections since the 1700s, however, and now much better voting methods exist to produce outcomes more closely aligned with voter sentiment. STAR Voting is one of those methods, and is among the best. At the Benjamin Franklin Party, we believe it is time to upgrade America’s voting methods to the 21st century, and support STAR voting as a good way to make progress toward that goal.
Nate Allen — Founder and Executive Director of Utah Approves; Board Director, Equal Vote Coalition
In terms of accuracy of representation, STAR Voting is the pinnacle of single-winner voting methods, combining expressivity and soundness to elect the truly most representative candidates.
Leon Noble — former candidate for governor, Oregon
Having experienced the failures of our voting system firsthand, STAR Voting is the first step to correcting the problems in our election system and returning ethics and honesty to politics. No other action, not even campaign finance reform, will do what STAR Voting will accomplish. This one action returns the power of govt. back to the people, through an equal vote.
Quotes from Endorsing Organizations:
The AAUW Eugene-Lane Branch endorses STAR Voting initiatives for Eugene, Lane County, and Oregon. Our branch has compared STAR Voting to other voting systems, and we feel it is expected to be the most effective voting system for achieving AAUW Oregon’s 2023–2024 governmental public policy goal: 'ensuring full and fair access to civil and constitutional rights, including meaningful campaign finance reform, open and fair elections, and nonpartisan voter education efforts that will promote equitable political participation and representation in appointed and elected offices.American Association of University Women, Eugene-Lane Branch
We support STAR voting because in order for democracy to thrive, we need an empowered and motivated voting populace. STAR voting will help build a more vibrant election process that will allow good candidates to run issue oriented campaigns that will excite and engage voters.Progressive Democrats of America, Oregon Chapter
STAR Voting Supporter Endorsements:
I believe STAR Voting will have a positive effect in leveling the playing field for many BIPOC people who are essentially left out and locked out. I believe that STAR Voting allows fair and representative elections, eliminates spoilers, and combats the negative impacts of money in politics.Dr. Rosa Colquitt, PhD — President, Greater Portland National Organization for Women; Chair, Democratic Party of Oregon
I’m a longtime advocate of better voting systems, since well before FairVote started. Voting system criteria I introduced are still in wide use. The 'winning-votes' defeat measure for Condorcet that I introduced for strategic resistance was journal-acclaimed and is still recognized for that advantage and used in the popular Schulze method, among others. I’ve been a longtime [Condorcet advocate], but I recognize STAR as the very best among current active proposals, and simple and brief enough to have a head start. STAR is by far the best currently active proposal: simple, brief, and able to be free of [vote splitting].Michael Ossipoff
STAR Voting is truly the Ferrari of voting methods. STAR Voting is the culmination of decades of excellent electoral research and modeling. It brings together the best elements of other popular methods and leads the pack in study after study. I think STAR Voting is ready for its breakout moment, and it can't come soon enough.Ammon Gruwell — Founder and Executive Director, Utah Center for Electoral Reform
By letting voters score multiple candidates, STAR Voting lets us support our favorite but still show a preference between other candidates on the ballot. It gives you the chance to say, ‘I like Annie, but if we can’t elect Annie, I prefer Bob to Carl.’Zach Hudson — Representative, Oregon House Distrct 49; Master of Arts, University of Winchester; Master of Education, Portland State University
Choosing between the 'lesser-of-two-evils' is no longer satisfactory for a nation as diverse — in culture, as well as landscape — as The United States.Dalton Zerlan
I believe STAR voting may address two critical problems in our voting system: the elimination of the third candidate spoiler effect; and improving confidence that each of us can express our true preference without remorse and fear of wasting the vote.Tom Bowerman — Director, PolicyInteractive
STAR Voting is the first step in giving the power of government back to the people and out of the hands of lobbying interests.Ryan Hassan
Everyday working class Oregonians deserve a democracy that works for — and is accessible for — all of us. That’s why I am proud to endorse the adoption of STAR Voting in Oregon at all levels of government. STAR Voting will give Oregonians more choices, more freedom, and more transparency in our elections. We have to dare to build the world that we want to live in, and I want to live in a world with fair, inclusive, and equitable elections. I want to live in a world with STAR Voting. Let’s build that world together!Paige Kreisman — former candidate for State House, Oregon District 42
Electoral reform is long overdue. STAR Voting is the best method in my opinion.Quentin Lewis
Voters are looking for better ways to make our voices heard in elections. I support innovations like STAR Voting because it can bring more people into the political process. And I’m the only candidate in my race who has consistently promoted STAR voting in my interviews and livestream town halls. When more voters are engaged, our elections have better results for our communities.Jamie McLeod-Skinner — Candidate for US House, Oregon District 5
I believe [STAR Voting is] the most fair way to elect officials. Kim Darden
I endorse STAR voting because I believe the two-party system is corrupt and a threat to our democracy.Mont Chris Hubbard
STAR Voting is the best option available that allows voters to vote their conscience and know their vote will count in determining the winner even if their favorite can’t win.Jas Davis
I love the ability of STAR Voting to express a preference for multiple candidates. I don’t have to think about who has the most money or worry if voting for my favorite candidate will split the vote.James Barber — former candidate for East Lane County Commissioner
No matter where you land on the political spectrum, each of us wants to feel as if our vote counts. STAR Voting is remarkably well-structured to do just that. With our current system, we often feel like we have to vote for the candidate who annoys us the least if we want to have a say at all. With Ranked Choice, you have to try to pick precisely who you like best, next best, and so on. In real life, that’s hard to do. It feels forced. With STAR Voting, you simply vote your true feelings about each candidate. With its transparent, two-step Score, Then Automatic Runoff structure, you get to give your favorite candidates your highest scores, AND still have a say in the run-off among the two most popular vote-getters. That’s powerful stuff.Wendy Cook
No other voting method is as transparent, satisfying, and simple at the same time.Nathan Li
I believe STAR Voting can be an effective way to engage voters, to achieve better representation, and to hear all Oregonians, regardless of party affiliation or lack thereof.[Mark Hass — Former State Senator, Oregon District 14; MA in Communications
Voting for the lesser of two evils is what got us where we are today. STAR voting gives people a chance to really make their voices heard and to avoid electing any 'evils.'[Leigha LaFleur — Former Candidate, Oregon Metro Council, District 6
Let's end the greater evil argument. Let's vote our conscience and maintain a peace of mind. I'm urging support in pushing legislation for STAR Voting. We are sick and tired of hearing the 'Lesser Evil' argument. When a voter makes this argument, it is clear they're not voting their conscience, but rather out of fear of a greater evil. We can end this with STAR Voting. Help voters vote their conscience AND have peace of mind. Push STAR Voting.Artemis Wanderlust
The three way race for [Oregon] governor in 2022 is a perfect example of why we need this reform!Ethan Smith
Equal Vote Coalition and STAR Voting are awesome, so I support them.Andrew Bushard — M.A. (MSU-Mankato, 2004)
I believe [STAR Voting] will support the foundation of our democracy.Austin Folnagy — Board Member, Lane County Community College
STAR Voting has also been endorsed by:
- Jamie McLeod-Skinner — Candidate for US House, OR-5
- Mark Hass — Former State Senator, Oregon District 14
- Zach Hudson — State Representative, Oregon District 49
- Chris Henry — former candidate for Oregon Governor
- Emily Semple — Eugene City Councilor, Ward 1
- Greg Evans — Eugene City Councilor, Ward 6
- Lisa Warnes — candidate for Eugene City Council, Ward 2
- Betty Taylor — former Eugene City Councilor
- Matt McRae — Commissioner of Wards 1 & 8 and President of the Eugene Water & Electric Board
- Keith Appleby
- Mel Barber
- Bob Cassidy
- Rick Dancer
- Ruth Duemler
- Nicholas Engel
- Len Hockley
- Jane & Stefan Kwiatkowskis
- James Yuki McQuire
- Hallie Roberts
- Stephen Robinson
- Carol Scherer
- Chenoa Skaggs
- Jacob Strandlien
- Joy Thomson
- Arun N. Toké
- Marianne Zundel
- Erin Bear
- Jonathan Bright
- Maryellen Cooke
- Douglas Estudillo
- Jeffrey Flynn
- Sean McClintock
- Julia Rose
- Lin Tucker
- Adam Zielinski
- Jim Cupples
- Lonnie Douglas
- Kris MacAlister
- Deborah Simplier
- Nora Kent
- Kevin Matthews
- Thomas A. Brown
- Elin England
- Don Schneider
- Aaron Wolf
- Laura E. Stine
- Courtney N. Love
- Rhonda Walker
- Michelle Holman
Words of encouragement from groups that haven't officially endorsed yet:
[We] think STAR Voting is worth testing — we think it’s an interesting approach...we support [STAR] getting some actual election experience.Sightline Institue
I don't see bullet voting as a strategic incentive with STAR Voting...FairVote is neutral on STAR Voting in governmental elections.Rob Richie; Founder, Senior Advisor, and former CEO and President of FairVote