Susan Lerner is one of the city’s leading experts on ranked-choice voting. As Executive Director of the nonprofit Common Cause, she was instrumental in the campaign, during the New York City ballot initiative, to bring ranked-choice voting to New York City primaries and special elections. That measure, as part of a slate of Charter Commission recommendations, passed last November and goes into effect in 2021. While an overwhelming majority of New Yorkers voted in favor of the change, there is still a lot of confusion about what it is, how it will work, and who stands to benefit.
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Susan Lerner is the Executive Director of Common Cause New York. Susan joined Common Cause in December, 2007. She is responsible for setting priorities, strategy, lobbying, serving as a spokesperson, fund-raising and leading the team for the New York organization. Before joining Common Cause, Susan served from 2003-07 as executive director of the California Clean Money Campaign. As a member of the New York and California bars, she was a litigator for almost 20 years. Susan has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Chicago and a law degree from the New York University School of Law.
LINKS RELATED TO THIS EPISODE:
- Follow Common Cause New York on Twitter
- Follow Common Cause New York on Instagram
- Learn more about Common Cause New York
- The New York Times: Why Ranked-Choice Voting Is Having a Moment
- City & State New York: How ranked-choice voting will work in New York City
- Politico: Ranked-choice voting adopted in New York City, along with other ballot measures
- Gotham Gazette: Key Details Emerge for How Ranked-Choice Voting Will Work in New York City
- The City: What’s Ranked-Choice Voting? Candidates Say Many New Yorkers Don’t Know
