Gautam Dutta

Currently, Los Angeles' local elections run on a wasteful, two-round election system. Last May, only 6 percent of voters turned out for the runoff election for the Los Angeles Community College Districts -- an election that cost taxpayers $5 million, or $40 per voter. For this reason, the LA City Council is seriously considering Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) for local elections. By combining the general and runoff election into 1 single election, IRV will save millions… more

Gautam Dutta is Deputy Director of the Political Reform Program at the New America Foundation. In this capacity, he is an advocate for New America’s signature reform proposals, including instant runoff voting, proportional voting, and redistricting reform. A Yale and Georgetown-educated lawyer, Mr. Dutta has been Tax Counsel to California… more