Learning Democracy Through Work: How MPDC's Youth Program Uses Ranked Choice Voting

When young people in Madison Park Development Corporation 's employment programs prepare for their summer jobs, they get more than just work experience – they get a practical lesson in democracy through ranked choice voting.

Instead of the traditional "first-come, first-served" or random assignment process, MPDC empowers its youth participants to rank available job sites in order of preference. This innovative approach accomplishes two crucial goals: It gives young people more agency in their employment journey while simultaneously teaching them how ranked choice voting works in a practical, personally relevant context.

Why It Works:

- Gives youth real decision-making power over their work placement

- Creates a fair distribution of positions based on preferences

- Reduces disappointment by considering everyone's backup choices

- Provides hands-on experience with ranked choice voting

- Demonstrates RCV's practical benefits in a non-political context

This real-world application helps people understand why RCV makes sense for Boston's elections. When young people experience the benefits of ranking their choices for something as important as their job placement, they can better appreciate how this method could improve our city's democratic process.