Instant Runoff Voting: Latest Articles

The Groundhog Day Election In Los Angeles

Ron Tang — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:22:00 -0400

After a fiercely fought primary election, no winner emerged in last week's election in the LA County Supervisor race between City Councilmember Bernard Parks and State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas. With barely one-sixth of all voters participating, millions of dollars spent, and a race that turned increasingly negative, neither Ridley-Thomas nor Parks could muster a majority (50 percent plus one) in the nine-candidate field. As a result, both candidates must now duke it out for another five months until the November general election -- leaving voters in the crossfire of more mudslinging and personal attacks.

According to some political consultants and politicians,… more

How Ed Jew Got Elected

Articles — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:33:00 -0400

With all the controversy swirling around embattled San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew regarding FBI investigations and his in-district residency, some have asked the question: How did this guy ever get elected?

Ironically the answer reveals a new dynamic in San Francisco elections that may diminish the nastiness of mudslinging campaigns, to the relief of all. San Francisco has seen its share of vicious political races. Campaign mailers showing Nazi swastikas, cockroaches and pornography, along with accusations of anti-Semitism, slum landlordism and more, have defiled our mailboxes and doorsteps. While negative campaigning will never go away, it may be possible to… more

No Way to Run an Election

Articles — Thu, 17 May 2007 10:46:00 -0400

The sound of hissing air leaking out of Los Angeles democracy is unmistakable. A check-in at one precinct by 2:00 p.m. on election day revealed that only two voters out of the 1,073 registered in that precinct had turned out to vote. By the close of the polls, it was up to four. This makes the 10% overall turnout in the March 6 elections -- already the lowest in decades -- look like a democratic flood.

Each of the 122,436 ballots cast Tuesday, out of nearly 2 million registered voters, cost taxpayers more than $40 -- an expensive ticket to a… more

France's Election Flaw

Articles — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:25:00 -0400

What if the wrong candidate wins France’s presidential election? If the wrong candidate were to win because of electoral fraud -- stuffing of ballot boxes or rigging of votes -- all of France would be up in arms, and the international media would shine a glaring spotlight.

But a different specter hangs over French voters today: that the wrong candidate will win because of an antiquated method for electing their president. The current method, a first-round free-for-all followed by a second round between the top two finishers, is designed for when there are two major candidates who… more

Catching on to Instant Runoff Voting

Articles — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 07:29:00 -0500

Political reforms such as redistricting reform and campaign finance reform have foundered at the ballot box in recent years, rejected by voters in several states. But another political reform, instant runoff voting, has quietly racked 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… more