Blair Bobier: All Publications, Events and Press

Better and Cheaper Elections for Vancouver

Erin Drankoski — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:32:00 -0500

The most expensive mayoral race in Vancouver's history is over. The bad news: It took two elections, hundreds of thousands of dollars and a fair amount of mud-slinging to produce a winner. The good news: Vancouver has the ability to cut election costs and campaign spending as well as restore civility to the electoral process in one fell swoop.

Law Would Engage More Teens in Voting

Erin Drankoski — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 06:31:00 -0400

It has been a tough year for California. The Golden State, known for decades as an innovator and agent of change, had to issue IOUs to pay its debts. Investment in the future, which used to be California's guiding vision, has taken a back seat to plugging the many holes in the leaky dike of our antiquated institutions.

Can a 17-year-old Register to Vote? It Depends | Ventura County Star

Cecille Isidro — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:06:00 -0400

“As you look at other states, this has been a thoroughly nonpartisan or bipartisan issue,” said Blair Bobier, deputy director of the New America Foundation ...

Like Hollywood, U.S. Should Update Its Voting System

Erin Drankoski — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:59:00 -0400

Once upon a time, Hollywood cinematographers, disenchanted with black-and-white movies, embraced color film to more faithfully represent what they saw through the lenses of their cameras. Now Hollywood has taken an equally innovative step to represent the preferences of those who make the movies.

It’s Time to Bring Majority Rule to the American Election Process

Cecille Isidro — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 10:05:00 -0400

Virginia's Democratic gubernatorial primary made all sorts of national news last month. The more typical stories equated former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe's defeat with the end of the Clinton era. Yet, despite the abundance of coverage, one significant detail has been left out of the generally agreed upon "story" about Virginia's recent gubernatorial primary -- the losing candidates received more votes than the winner.

CA EVENT: Instant Runoff Voting (San Jose)

Elizabeth Wu — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 04:15:00 -0400

A New America Event
06/11/2009 - 12:00pm

On June 11th, 2009, San Joses city leaders joined election experts for a discussion on instant runoff voting. Currently, in order to be elected to office in San Jose, a candidate must secure a majority of the votes cast. Sounds simple enough, but if no candidate receives a majority in the initial election, then a runoff election is held in which the top candidates must compete again. This process is lengthy, results in low voter turnout, and can cost $500,000… more

New Report Shows Instant Runoff Voting Saves Money and Boosts Voter Turnout

Elizabeth Wu — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:04:00 -0400

Media Contact
Liz Wu
California Media Relations Manager
510-295-9859
wu@newamerica.net

Instant Runoff Voting for the City of San Jose:

Political Reform — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:14:00 -0400

Executive Summary

San Jose uses a two-round runoff system to elect its mayor and city council, with the first election in June and a runoff election in November if no candidate wins a majority of votes in June. Voter turnout in the June general election is about half that of the November election, with turnout disproportionately lower among traditionally disenfranchised communities. With most elections being decided in a low turnout June election, a small and unrepresentative segment of the community is having an oversized effect

California's Electoral System Needs Reform

Elizabeth Wu — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:29:00 -0400

Media Contact
Liz Wu
California Media Relations Manager
510-295-9859
wu@newamerica.net

SACRAMENTO, CA - In the wake of Tuesday's record low voter turnout and the resounding defeat of five of six ballot measures proposed by the Legislature, the New America Foundation renewed its call for a fundamental overhaul of California's dysfunctional electoral system.

Voter Registration Bills Advance

Elizabeth Wu — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:01:00 -0400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sacramento, CA--The New America Foundation applauded the advancement of two bills designed to increase the number of Californians who are registered to vote. The bills, AB 30 (Price) and AB 106 (Price), were approved yesterday by the Assembly Committee on Elections and Redistricting by a solid 5-1 vote. If passed, the bills would make great strides toward bringing California closer to 100 percent voter registration.

A Cheaper, Quicker, More Civil Way to Run San Jose Elections: Instant Runoffs

Cecille Isidro — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 10:24:00 -0500

Madison Nguyen shouldn't be the only one breathing a sigh a relief.

When San Jose District 7 voters rejected a recall of the city councilwoman Tuesday, they spared the entire city the cost of holding two additional special elections.

New America Launches "REFORM CALIFORNIA" Web Page in Conjunction with the Call for a California Constitutional Convention

Communications — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:39:00 -0500

Sacramento, CA - The New America Foundation today announced the launching of a web page, www.ReformCalifornia.org, dedicated as a resource for budget and political reform in California. The announcement comes as civic and business leaders from around the state plan to meet in Sacramento on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 for a Constitutional Convention Summit sponsored by the Bay Area Council, New America Foundation, League of Women Voters, Common Cause, William C. Velasquez Institute and other civic

Instant Runoff Voting

Cecille Isidro — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:38:00 -0500

Now that our country has elected a 21st century president, we should reconsider our 18th century electoral system.

Making More Sense of Our Elections

Cecille Isidro — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:12:00 -0500

Now that a winner has emerged in Oregon's down-to-the-wire U.S. Senate race, one nagging question persists: What effect did the third-party candidacy of Dave Brownlow have on the election?

The question is important for a number of reasons. With the vote for Republican Gordon Smith and Democrat Jeff Merkley so close -- each received 47 percent of the total -- the more than 80,000 votes earned by Brownlow of the Constitution Party is far greater than the margin of difference between the two leading candidates. So when Merkley takes office, one thing is certain: The junior senator from Oregon will have been elected by a minority of Oregon voters. Put another way, a majority of voters will have rejected the winner.

That result is not at all unusual. That's because Oregon does not require a majority vote for a candidate to win an election. Candidates need to win only a plurality of the vote -- that is, more votes than any other candidate. At first blush, plurality voting might seem fair -- until you consider situations in which more people are voting for losing candidates than for a winner.

Oregonians are fortunate that a solution to this problem already exists and is, in fact, enshrined in the constitution. Article II, Section 16 of the Oregon Constitution allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. Instead of voting for just one candidate, voters can indicate their first, second and third choices. If a candidate wins a majority of first-choice rankings, that candidate is elected. If, on the other hand, no candidate receives an initial majority of first-choice rankings, the candidate with the fewest first-choice rankings is eliminated from the contest and that candidate's supporters now have their votes count for their second choice. Because this election method conducts a nearly simultaneous runoff election, it's often referred to as instant-runoff voting (and is also known as preference voting or ranked-choice voting).

If used in the Smith-Merkley-Brownlow race, an instant runoff would have produced a majority winner, which would not only resolve any questions about Brownlow's effect on the outcome -- which might be argued either way -- but would have eliminated any possibility of Brownlow being seen as a "spoiler." Instant-runoff voting is politically neutral: In some races it might help elect a conservative, while in others, a liberal. Its allegiance is only to the majority will of the voters.

Unlike Measure 65, the "top two" election system that Oregonians overwhelmingly rejected at the polls this week, instant-runoff voting has a track record of success and was used most recently in Pierce County (Tacoma) in Washington to elect the county executive and other officeholders. Instant-runoff voting has broad support among political scientists and across the political spectrum, from Barack Obama to John McCain.

Because a number of Oregon municipalities use runoff elections, instant runoffs have another advantage as well: saving local government's money. By combining two elections -- a general election and a runoff -- into one, taxpayers are spared the expense of paying for a second, unnecessary election. Not surprisingly then, city councilors and county commissioners from one end of Oregon to the other have expressed interest in using instant-runoff voting.

That presents Secretary of State-elect Kate Brown with a golden opportunity to help implement an electoral reform that makes sense and saves money.