Jesse Mermell officially joins Yes on 2 Campaign
For Immediate Release
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Boston, Mass. – September 23, 2020 –
The Yes on 2 campaign has officially brought former 4th Congressional District candidate Jesse Mermell into its campaign to bring ranked choice voting to Massachusetts as an honorary co-chair and senior advisor. On September 4th, after conceding in her 4th Congressional District Democratic primary race, Mermell posted a video in front of a “Jesse Mermell for RCV” sign where the former Brookline Select Board Member offered to support the campaign: “If the ranked choice voting campaign needs a new face, give me a call, guys. I’ve got some time on my hands.”
In what has been described as a case study for why Massachusetts should adopt a system of ranked choice voting, Mermell was narrowly defeated in the 4th CD’s September 1st Democratic primary, which saw the top two candidates take less than 23 percent of the vote each and a winner being declared without a majority.
“The 4th Congressional District primary is just one example of many crowded races and primaries in Massachusetts that have ended without a majority consensus from voters,” said Jesse Mermell. “Like my former opponents in the race for the Fourth, I believe that if we want to ensure leaders represent the majority of voters, ranked choice voting is the clear path forward. I can’t wait to be back on the campaign trail fighting for our democratic values in this election, making sure that voters’ voices are heard.”
Mermell, a Brookline resident, is a former Brookline Select Board Member, advisor to Governor Deval Patrick where she led his Strong Women Strong Families Initiative, she also served as President for the Alliance for Business Leadership, and is the former Executive Director of the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus.
“Jesse understands from first hand experience that the way we currently vote – called plurality voting – has led to a lack of majority winners in our elections, crippling division, and a democracy in need of an upgrade, said Cara Brown McCormick, campaign manager for Yes on 2. “Adopting RCV is one thing we can all do right now to help fix a broken system and we are delighted and honored to have Jesse on our team to help spread this message far and wide.”
All seven candidates in the 4th CD primary campaign have endorsed RCV. Last week, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey both endorsed RCV.
Contact: Charlie@sqcomms.com, 617-894-6905
About the Yes on 2 Campaign
Yes On 2 is a citizen-led, nonpartisan campaign to adopt Ranked Choice Voting for Massachusetts elections starting in 2022. Ranked Choice Voting is a common-sense reform that gives voters more voice, more choice, more power and more freedom. It will strengthen our democracy by ensuring our leaders are supported by the broadest majority of voters and reflect the true will of the people.
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