http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-hill/new-voting-method-to-impr_b_38661.html
New Voting Method to Improve Democracy is Catching On
Political reforms such as redistricting reform, fusion and campaign
finance reform have been floundering at the ballot box in recent years,
rejected by voters in several states. But another political reform,
instant runoff voting, has been quietly racking up impressive
victories.
Instant runoff voting (IRV), which allows voters to rank their
candidates 1, 2, 3, made great strides forward during the November 7,
2006 elections.
Voters in four different jurisdictions overwhelmingly approved ballot
measures for IRV. In California, voters in Oakland approved the idea
with a landslide 69 percent of the vote, as did 56 percent of voters in
Davis. In Minneapolis, a landslide 65 percent of voters passed an IRV
ballot measure, as did 53 percent of voters in Pierce County, Wash.
What was interesting about the victories was that they happened in four
very different locations. Oakland is a very diverse, working-class
city; Minneapolis is a Midwestern values city; Pierce County is a mix
of rural/suburban/urban areas with many independent-minded voters; and
Davis is a small university town. Yet in every place IRV provided a
unique solution to problems with representative government.
Instant runoff voting ensures that officeholders are elected with a
majority of the vote in a single November election. No separate runoffs
or primaries are necessary. Voters rank their candidates, and if their
first choice can't win their vote goes to their second-ranked candidate
as their runoff choice. Voters are liberated to vote for the candidates
they really like without worrying about "spoilers." You can rank your
favorite candidate first, knowing if she or he can't win, you haven't
wasted your vote because it will go to your second choice.
IRV is catching on, whether on the liberal coasts or in heartland
America. North Carolina recently passed groundbreaking legislation to
use IRV to fill vacancies for statewide judicial offices and for local
elections, and there's talk of using it for all statewide offices.
Driving the interest in North Carolina are elections like the runoff in
2004 for the Democratic nominee for superintendent of public
instruction, which cost $3.5 million and produced a 3 percent voter
turnout.
Recently Louisiana, Arkansas and South Carolina, which already use
two-round runoff elections for various races, began using IRV for their
military/overseas voters because there is not enough time to mail a
second ballot to them when a runoff election is required.
Colorado recently became the first state to use IRV to fill a vacancy
in the state legislature. Takoma Park, Md., will use IRV for the first
time in 2007 to elect the mayor and city council. Burlington, Vt., used
IRV to elect its mayor last spring, spurring the introduction of bills
in the state legislature for its use in statewide elections. Following
the Minneapolis and Pierce County victories, the largest newspapers in
Minnesota and Washington have called for IRV to be used to elect state
offices.
San Francisco voters launched the IRV movement in 2002 when they passed
it for local elections, and San Francisco has used it now for three
elections. Several exit polls have demonstrated that San Francisco
voters across all racial, age and economic lines like ranking their
ballots and understand IRV. Since San Francisco's trailblazing voyage,
nine ballot measures for IRV have been passed by voters, often with
landslide margins.
The movement toward use of IRV is gaining momentum because it answers a
real need. It's one of the best solutions to public frustration with
unresponsive and unaccountable government. IRV makes voters feel like
their votes count because you are not stuck always choosing the lesser
of two evils. You can cast your vote for your favorite candidate,
knowing if she or he can't win, you haven't thrown your vote away on a
spoiler. It opens politics to new candidates and their ideas,
increasing political debate, and even discourages negative campaigning
as candidates try to win rankings from the supporters of their
opponents.
For all these reasons, instant runoff voting is now the hot reform to
watch as Americans grapple with how to improve our democracy and make
elected officials more accountable to We the Voters. Steven Hill is
director of the political reform program of the New America Foundation,
and author of "10 Steps to Repair American Democracy."
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Interesting idea but complicated which means more room for foul play
with the vote.
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