ROCHESTER, Minn. - Sunday's Ranked Choice Voting Rochester held an event at Forager Brewery to spread the word about Ranked Choice Voting. This voting system allows cities to be more innovative in the election process.

Paul Johnson is one of nearly 40 people that came out to the event. The Rochester resident says he has never really been politically active. He heard about Ranked Choice Voting and started doing some research.
"The more I found out about it the more I liked what I saw, and I see it as a way to break some of the gridlocks we have in our politics."

Ranked Choice Voting is essentially an election voting system in which a voter ranks their first, second and third choices on the ballot. Vangie Castro helped organize today's event. She says there are two huge benefits to this type of system.

"What it does it helps build coalitions because you want to get the second and third choice votes,” Castro said. “Also what it does it makes it hard for negative campaigning. Candidates have to talk more about the issues instead of talking about their opponents."

She says momentum is building within city council to adopt Ranked Choice Voting for municipal elections.

This fall, Ranked Choice Voting Rochester started the campaign called 'you two can make it happen!' It's a signature-gathering campaign to get Ranked Choice Voting on the ballot in Rochester for city elections.

"I'm more interested in it at a national and state level that's what I want to see but we have to start from the bottom up."

Last year, 11 cities across the U.S. used Ranked Choice Voting.