We have a chance with I-83 to significantly increase voter turnout, participation and particularly in Ward seven and eight where the initiative won overwhelmingly and we have a chance to engage even more people in the electoral process.

I collected 500 signatures personally. 80% of those people knew about ranked choice voting. I didn't have to explain it. This is homegrown.

The League has supported this initiative for ranked choice voting and letting independents vote in the primaries since its inception because we believe in election processes that encourage the most voters as possible and those with minority opinions to participate and that truly reflect voter choices.

Civil rights trailblazers marched, bled, and died for our right to vote, but 75,000 independent voters are still waiting to be allowed to vote in DC. We have been silenced by a system that wasn't built for us, but I'm proud to stand with the voters from every ward, every walk of life, to fix that.

What we experienced over and over on the ground for a year was this: the more that voters learned about 83, the more they liked it.

The foundation for Initiative 83 was laid long before the ballot initiative began. And in fact, it was a continuation of the grassroots efforts of being in the streets, meeting people where they are, to talk about a better system for us all. The Initiative was taking it to the ballot to let the people decide, and they did.

I may be a nonpartisan elected official, but I'm personally a registered Democrat, and I enthusiastically support letting independents vote in our primaries.

The citizens of the District of Columbia decided that giving everyone the right to vote in the primary election was the right thing to do to allow everyone's voice to be heard, which has been the battle cry for the District for years.

Initiative 83 [is] a vital reform that strengthens local democratic power, reflects our values as a city, and ensures fairer and more accountable elections for all DC residents.

I urge [Council] to maintain the integrity of our democracy and ensure the will of the people is supported by funding and producing Initiative I-83 to make sure we strengthen our democracy and our candidates are able to win with a majority of support of the district residents.

Simply put, Washingtonians deserve the best, and ranked choice voting is the best way to vote in elections.

Voting for the initiative is an extension of our free speech, as well as our way of holding our elected officials accountable.

When I was canvassing east of the river, I found a lot of frustration. People know how the [current] system works and they feel like their voices don't matter. Initiative 83 is for them. It's for you.

73% of the people who voted told DC Council, loud and clear, that they want to see I-83 implemented. In my opinion, the work of any functioning democracy is to see the will of the people enacted.

I hope for our next elections to have ranked choice voting in place so that we can take the next major step to enfranchise Washingtonians and improve the quality of our civic life and discourse.

[Initiative 83] increases [voter] participation and therefore protects democracy.

When I hear some DC residents say they don't think their vote makes a difference, I say to them, then it's time to make voting different. And that's exactly what Initiative 83 does.