President Donald Trump’s election already is having a big impact on everything from immigration to environmental policy.

But one of the more unexpected consequences of a Trump presidency could be a change in how the city of Sarasota conducts elections, a change that would eliminate the need for the type of runoff contest that is taking place in the city next month.

Dismayed by the entire 2016 election process, Lakewood Ranch resident John Severini decided to take action.

“I was left with a rather hollow feeling that democracy wasn’t well served and something needs to change in the process,” Severini said. “The whole process was embarrassing. Is it the candidates or is it the system or is it both? Certainly there’s room for improvement every place.”

Severini’s vague belief that something needed to change led him to investigate alternative election models. Before long he stumbled onto a concept called “ranked choice voting.”

The more Severini read about the voting system, the more he liked it. The system allows voters to select their top choice in a given race, but also their second choice, third choice and so on.

If a voter’s top choice loses — but no other candidate collects more than 50 percent of the vote — then that vote goes to the person’s second choice.

Severini likes the idea because it allows people to vote for third-party candidates without creating a spoiler effect. That likely would lead to more third-party candidates and more support for them. It also could have changed the outcome of the 2016 election.

Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein received more combined support in key states — including Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan — than Trump’s margin of victory. If these voters were able to choose another candidate after Stein and Johnson had been eliminated, the outcome might have been different for Democrat Hillary Clinton.

“You can vote your heart and know you’re not going to throw your vote away and possibly help someone who you really don’t want win,” Severini said.

As Severini was exploring ranked choice voting he came across a surprising fact: The city of Sarasota already has approved the system.

Back in 2007 the ranked choice system — described at the time as “instant runoff voting” — was approved by 77.6 percent of city voters as part of a package of elections reforms.

City races ostensibly are nonpartisan so the Sarasota referendum had little to do with questions about third-party candidates. Instead, the voting system was sold as a way to eliminate some of the downsides of holding separate runoff elections, including their cost and the fact that voter participation tends to drop significantly.

But the city contracts with the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections to conduct city elections and in 2007 the county’s voting machines did not allow for ranked choice voting.

That changed when the county bought new machines and software in 2015, but by then people had forgotten about the 2007 referendum.

Severini is making it his mission to remind them.

“I think we have an opportunity here where the ball is on the 10 yard line and we just have to put it” in the end zone, he said.

Severini is partnering with other elections reform advocates to hold a public forum on ranked choice voting today at 3 p.m. at the Fogartyville Media and Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Court, Sarasota.

FairVote Minnesota Executive Director Jeanne Massey, who helped implement the voting system in Minneapolis, will speak at the event. City leaders have been invited to attend. A mock vote will be held.

Obstacles remain to implementing ranked choice voting in Sarasota, though. The city would be the first community in Florida to adopt such a system, and state officials would have to sign off on it.

The state must certify the software used to tally ranked choice ballots. It’s unclear if that would require a change to state law, or if the secretary of state currently has that power. The state also sets the rules for ballot design, and those rules might need to change to accommodate ranked choice ballots in a format that is not confusing for voters.

Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner has provided Severini with information about state election law. But Turner said it’s up to city leaders to seek clarity from the state on how to adopt the system.

“It’s their election,” he said.

Severini is in the early stages of reaching out to city officials. He expects them to get behind the idea.

“I don’t want to be naive but we really don’t think there’ll be a lot of opposition,” he said. “It’s just a matter of getting their attention.”

What happens at the state level remains to be seen. But Severini’s vision is for Sarasota to serve as a model that paves the way for the system statewide and nationally.

“I’d love to see it go national but it’s really got to start in the cities,” he said.

Severini also sees a lesson in his experience with ranked choice voting for those frustrated by the Trump presidency. He channeled his frustrations into trying to make a difference, and found a way to do that at the local level.

“All politics is local,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of energy that this election has stirred up. So do something. Don’t complain. Do something.”

Buchanan’s big month

The candidates for a state House seat covering parts of Sarasota and Manatee counties are off to an early start in the fundraising battle.

Last week James Buchanan, a Sarasota real estate professional and the son of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, announced a huge fundraising total for his first full month in the race.

The $138,000 Buchanan raised in March is a sign that the District 71 contest will be one of the most expensive legislative races in the state.

Buchanan held a fundraiser on Longboat Key that was attended by Gov. Rick Scott and included a number of prominent GOP donors in the region. But his GOP primary opponent, Bradenton attorney Will Robinson, also has plenty of support to draw on and is expected to be a strong fundraiser.

Robinson — who loaned his campaign $100,000 in February — is holding a fundraiser Tuesday at the Pier 22 restaurant in Bradenton that is hosted by dozens of Manatee County’s most prominent citizens, including former congressman Dan Miller, former state Senate president John McKay, two county commissioners and Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston. High-profile business leaders such as Lakewood Ranch developer Rex Jensen also are on Robinson’s host committee.

Buchanan said in a press release that he plans to “build on the momentum from this historic fundraising month and continue to grow support for our campaign.” Buchanan’s strong March fundraising total puts pressure on Robinson to respond with a big fundraising figure from Tuesday’s event.

“I am exceptionally pleased with the enormous amount of support that the campaign had received so far and anticipate a great fundraising haul in April,” Robinson said.

Bradenton Democrat Randy Cooper also is running for the District 71 seat that is currently held by Rep. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton. Boyd can’t run for reelection in 2018 because of term limits.

Estuary program support

As Congress works on next year’s budget, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan is seeking funding for an environmental program that has helped clean up Sarasota Bay.

Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, sent a letter to House budget writers “urging full funding for the nation’s 28 national estuaries.” The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program — approved in 1989 — is included in that group.

“I will continue to fight for our estuary so residents and visitors can enjoy the bay for decades to come,” Bucahanan said in a press release.

Events

■ The Republican Club of South Sarasota County meets Thursday at 6 p.m. at Jacaranda West Country Club, 1901 Jacaranda Blvd., Venice. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam, a likely candidate for governor, will address the group. The cost is $50. For reservations call 941-468-6387 or email crowebird2@verizon.net.

■ The East Manatee Republican Club meets Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at Peridia Golf and Country Club, 4950 Peridia Blvd E., Bradenton. State House candidate James Buchanan will address the group. The cost is $16. For reservations call 941-739-3813 or email longboatfl@aol.com.