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Petra Pino
See what others say about me on LinkedIn!
Director, House of Inanna
Steering Committee, The Belly Dance Guild
Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal. ~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution. ~Emma Goldman [paraphrased]
Talent is a pursued interest. Anything you are willing to practice, you can do. ~Bob Ross
5/26/26, 8:25 AM Mail - Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas - Outlook https://outlook.cloud.microsoft/mail/[email protected]/inbox/id/AAQkADhhYzk3NTk1LTBmZDAtNDc4Yi1hN2Q0LTZjNmZjNTk5M… 2/2
a vote would be "wasted". RCV would've let people vote for Matt Mahan without taking their vote away from other candidates with similar policy positions.
We are San Jose. We are hard-working problem solvers. We are not afraid of improvement. RCV would fix many of the problems that we see with our current elections.
Please give us, the voters of San Jose, the chance to choose RCV.
Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration of this issue.
Betty Lee
resident of San Jose District 8
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Furthermore, RCV also improves equity and participation in special elections. Eliminating additional election rounds reduces barriers for working families, seniors, and other underrepresented voters who may struggle to turn out to the poll's multiple times in a few short months. RCV also incentivizes candidates to appeal to a broader electorate, resulting in more collaborative campaigns and outcomes that better reflect the collective will of the community.
RCV has been successfully implemented in dozens of jurisdictions across the Bay Area and the entire country, proving to be easy for voters to navigate regardless of age, race, income level, or language spoken. Santa Clara County’s Registrar of Voters currently has the technological capability to implement RCV, making it both practical and fiscally responsible.
By giving voters, the option of RCV for vacancy elections, San José can run efficient special elections, safeguard millions of taxpayer dollars, and reinvest those funds directly into essential public services. It is a true win-win: smarter elections, wiser fiscal management, and stronger democratic outcomes for our community.
It is only right that RCV be included on our November 2026 ballot to let the voters of San José decide whether they're going to equip their City Council with this effective, cost-saving option.
Stay safe, healthy and blessed!
With gratitude,
Carmen Brammer
CEO/Founder, Global Majority Consulting
Former Candidate for San Jose City Council
In memory of my mother
"Grief is in two parts. The first is loss. The second is the remaking of life." --Anne Riophe CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
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May 27, 2026
Statement from the Executive Board of the Silicon Valley Young Democrats RE: SVYD stands in support of Ranked Choice Voting for Vacancies on the City Council Members of the Rules and Open Government Committee, please approve the memorandum by Councilmembers Cohen, Kamei, Mulcahy, and Tordillos to allow for the use of a Ranked Choice Voting system in special elections for vacancies of the Mayor or Councilmembers.
As discussed in the memorandum, the use of a Ranked Choice Voting system allows for the City to meaningfully reduce the budget impact of special elections. Such a system would shorten lengthy periods wherein residents find themselves unrepresented or represented by unelected appointees instead of a community member of their choice.
Voter familiarity relating to Ranked Choice Voting has risen substantially since the Council’s most recent discussion of the policy. An increasing number of jurisdictions across the United States have begun to implement the system including the City and County of San Francisco as well as the Cities of Berkeley, Oakland, and San Leandro in Alameda County. High-profile races utilizing Ranked Choice Voting like that of the 2026 New York City Mayoral election have also supported broader awareness of the system.
Further, there is data to suggest that Ranked Choice Voting results in outcomes that are more representative of the full population’s preferences.
1 The discrepancy in voter turnout between
Primary and Runoff elections is well recognized, doubly so in off-cycle special elections. 2 Ranked Choice Voting offers a method of avoiding this concern by allowing candidates and voters to identify and target a single election day for attention and turnout.
For the abovementioned reasons, the Executive Board of the Silicon Valley Young Democrats respectfully request the approval of the memorandum by Councilmembers Cohen, Kamei, Mulcahy, and Tordillos and ask that the City Council strongly consider the implementation of Ranked Choice Voting for special elections.
In Solidarity,
The SVYD Executive Board
2 “City Elections in San Jose, California (2025).” n.d. Ballotpedia. Accessed May 26, 2026. https://ballotpedia.org/City_elections_in_San_Jose,_California_(2025) 1 Dowling, Eveline, and Caroline Tolbert. 2025. “What We Know About Ranked Choice Voting, Updated for 2025.” American Bar Association.
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_interest/election_law/american-democracy/our-work/what-weknow-about-ranked-choice-voting-2025/.