Recent events have once again drawn attention to corruption in New Jersey politics. As a non-partisan organization dedicated to improving our election system, we encourage you to research the details on your own.

We feel that two points are missing from the conversation surrounding New Jersey politics this week:

Political corruption can breed cynicism, but it can also fuel us to get more deeply involved in changing our politics for the better.

For many people, this story will be one of many New Jersey corruption stories reinforcing their disinterest in politics. They are our friends, our family members who say that "politics isn't my thing." We need to show them that we can have more choices and better representation by upgrading how we vote. It is critical for you to bring up ranked-choice voting with them this week. 

We need a systemic fix for political corruption in New Jersey.

One of the most effective ways to prevent corruption is by making politicians feel like they will be held accountable. Outside of the limited options provided by the justice system and public pressure, our voting system is our last resort for removing a corrupt official. With our current plurality elections, voters have few choices and have to vote for "the lesser of two evils" because alternative candidates fear becoming spoilers. Ranked-choice voting makes it easier to hold corrupt politicians accountable because it encourages additional candidates to run and requires winners to have the support of the majority of voters. Countries that have a more responsive democracy tend to have less corruption. Peer countries like Ireland [10th] and Australia [13th], which both use ranked-choice voting, consistently score higher than the US [24th] in the Corruption Perceptions Index.

This corruption is why it's important to step up and demand more choices and more fair elections here in New Jersey.

CLICK HERE to sign our petition to support ranked-choice voting enabling legislation in New Jersey.