High Cost Of Shooting For STAR Voting

The Eugene City Council is currently considering referring a measure to the November ballot change our voting system to a system called STAR voting. This system changes our one person, one vote democracy into a system better suited for ranking restaurants than choosing city councilors.

First, it comes with a speculated six-figure price tag. In a time where government spending is already reaching an all-time high, we should not be adding to it with untested systems. This system would be the poster child for government waste.

Beyond the economic cost is the social one. Our community works best when individuals look out for one another, and treat each other with respect. That ideal is not reflected in this system. The best way to get ahead in this system is not to improve your own score, but to hurt the scores of the candidates around you. This will lead to elections where the focus shifts away from how candidates plan to improve our community and push us toward more mudslinging and division.

I want to live in a community that puts respect and common sense first. Advancing STAR through the City Council does not do that.

Bob Siegmund

Eugene