As part of Retake Our Democracy’s efforts to support Ranked Choice Voting, we are posting this description to the City RCV website and description of their public education plan. We will update this page periodically with schedules of community forums and other education events. The remainder of this page is a verbatim statement from the City about RCV and the City’s Vote Different Santa Fe website.

In preparation for its first ranked choice election, the City of Santa Fe is launching a Vote Different Santa Fe campaign so voters know what to expect when they step into the voting booth this spring.

The campaign will use a variety of public outreach and interactive initiatives to educate the public about how ranked voting works. Santa Fe’s March 6 municipal elections will mark the first time the system is used in a New Mexico election.

Community engagement efforts will include multiple community forums, a mock election using unique New Mexico-inspired characters as candidates, social media outreach, a website with interactive online demonstrations, traditional media outreach and advertising, how-to videos and customer service ambassadors.

The Vote Different Santa Fe campaign uses five animal-inspired candidates (Betty Bear, Felix Fox, Lucinda Lizard, Roberto Rabbit, Diego Deer and Olivia Owl) to illustrate in a non-biased and relatable way how easy the new ranked choice voting ballot is. Materials will be in both English and Spanish.

Messages are aimed at informing voters about how, where and when to vote, as well as links to important voter registration information.

“Our goal is to have an interactive community conversation about the new voting system,” said Mayor Javier M. Gonzales. He added, “We want everyone to have the opportunity to practice voting, ask questions and build momentum for voter turnout.”

The City has contracted with PK Public Relations, a Santa Fe-based integrated marketing company, and a team of talented local Santa Fe designers and marketers to develop the campaign.

Basic introductory information is now available for voters on www.votedifferentsantafe.com. More information, tools, and features will be added to the website throughout the campaign, so the City encourages voters to check back often and use the website a central hub for information.