Political Reform Blog

Letter to the Editor published in the Los Angeles Daily News, by Linda Suh

IRV - Instant runoff voting, or, as I like to call it, "immediate rescue (for) voting." L.A. currently suffers tremendously from its inefficient election method. For example, only 6 percent of registered voters voted… more

Rebuffing efforts by Mitt Romney loyalists, the Republican State Committee this week changed its policy of committing all the state's delegates to the winner of the presidential primary.

The winner-take-all policy had been championed by Romney backers -- including national committeeman Ron Kaufman -- when it came before a committee… more

In his first full statement to the Commons since becoming prime minister, he will reveal his intention to move power away from the… more

Admirers of former President George H.W. Bush have said all along that Ross Perot's third-party candidacy in 1992 took enough votes from Bush to allow Bill Clinton to win the presidency. It's clear that Ralph Nader kept… more

(op-ed by Steven Hill, published in the San Francisco Chronicle)

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… more

Have you stopped beating your spouse? Yes or no? No other response is acceptable.

Would you like being told that you must have a car, and must choose between a Ford and a Chevy? Or that you must profess a religion, and your only two choices are Jainism and Zoroastrianism?

If so,… more

(Editorial in the Daily Breeze) Local agencies can spend less on elections because the primary and runoff occur simultaneously, which would mean less voter fatigue.The last two elections supervised by the Los Angeles City Clerk's Office produced dismally low turnouts. Only 10 percent of registered… more

(Published in the Los Angeles Daily News) To entice Angelenos back to the polls after record-low turnouts in recent years, the city is mulling a host of changes, including new election dates, more mail-in voting and instant runoff voting. In this… more

(Written by Steve Hymon, LA Times Staff Writer, with quote from Lynne Serpe)

The following resolution was presented by Trustee Mona Field and passed by the Board of Trustees:

WHEREAS, The Los Angles Community College District election cycle and structure is legally tied to the City of Los Angeles; and

The Cary Town Council has given a thumbs up for Cary to be a pilot community for the Wake County Board of Elections Instant Runoff Voting Method for its municipal elections in November.

The decision came at Thursday night’s council meeting where Cherie Poucher, director of the Wake County Board of… more

(Steve Wiegand's column in the Sacramento Bee refers to an event where director Steven Hill spoke)

Back when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth (January 1986), then-Secretary of State March Fong Eu decided to stage a contest to increase voter turnout.Eu's idea was to solicit catchy slogans from citizens, … more

Former GOP Congressman from Illinois, John Porter, recommends that the next President promote “instant runoffs” to help elect less partisan, more mainstream candidates and encourage more voters to go to the polls.

(Excerpt) Redistricting has resulted in an extraordinarily high number of “safe… more

LOS ANGELES, CA – With barely six percent of voters coming to the polls on Election Day, Tuesday May 15, 2007 for an election that cost taxpayers $5 million to administer, the New America Foundation proposes eliminating the runoff election and… more

In addition to the presidency, Bruins United won three commissioner positions and both vice president offices, as well as two of the… more

MAY 0 2 2007

MOTION: RULES & ELECTIONS COMMITTEE

Introduced by Councilmember Jose Huizar, Seconded by Councilmember Eric Garcetti

The City of Los Angeles currently uses a two-round runoff system to electits Mayor, City Attorney, City Council, and Controller. One election isheld in early March, and if no… more

The following event was sponsored by The Voices of Reform Project - Commonwealth Club

PANELISTS: John Arntz, Director, San Francisco Department of Elections Richard DeLeon, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, San Francisco State University Rosalind Gold, Sr. Director of Policy, Research and Advocacy, NALEO Educational Fund… more

The latest bill calling for a switch to the majority-rule form of electing… more

The Warm Weather party is running on a pro-student-freedom and an anti-administration ticket. Their candidacy is motivated in… more

The council isn’t ready yet to switch to instant runoff voting, even for Planning Commission and Historic Resources Commission appointments. That… more

If the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform recommends the system -- known as mixed… more

The Nash and Edgecombe County boards of elections are mulling a request from the state to make Rocky Mount one of 10 pilot cities… more

On behalf of the New America Foundation, the Pasadena League of Women Voters, Common Cause, Pasadena Weekly and Invest in PUSD Kids, you are invited to attend one of the most exciting political events of the year!

(The following piece was drafted as an example op-ed. Letters to the editor need to be much shorter)

The sound of hissing air leaking out of Los Angeles democracy is unmistakable. In the March 6 elections, only 7 percent of registered voters turned out to vote, the lowest in decades.… more

"Instant runoff voting" made its formal political debut Tuesday night in St. Paul, apparently winning backing in resolutions put to scores of DFL precinct caucuses across the city.

"We're really pleased, but not surprised, at the support," said Gena Berglund, a St. Paul lawyer who is spearheading the effort to… more

(Program Director Steven Hill is quoted in this piece in the San Francisco Chronicle article about California's presidential primary)

If California's independent voters want a voice in next year's presidential primary, they better start paying attention to Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and the rest of the Democratic… more

If lawmakers… more

(Ranked voting is being used on college campuses across the county. This article by Nicholas Smith was published February 16th, 2007 in The McGill Daily)

No voting system is perfect, but Ross Margulies has a vision for a SSMU election system that he thinks can come closer.

Margulies, U3… more

Imagine that it is Election Day 2016. Imagine yet another presidential election that boils down to the same two battleground states—Ohio and… more

In… more

Published February 7th 2007 in The GazetteBy Agnes Jasinski

(This piece posted by Voice of America about New America's Ten Big Ideas event last week)

U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton, a Democrat from New York, and Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, were the keynote speakers at a conference this week unveiling a number of… more

(Editorial in the Long Beach Press-Telegram explores IRV)

Long Beach voters will have about all they want to deal with in the way of charter amendments in the May 1 election, but here's one to consider foranother time: fewer elections. It's clear voters would appreciate it, as evidenced… more

(Opinion Piece by Steven Hill in the San Francisco Chronicle)

Californians and their state government are drifting further apart.

A recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found only 20 percent of November voters believe our state will be a better place to live in 2025;… more

(This piece by Mark Paul was published along-side the opinion piece by Steven Hill)

Political reform is what we do in California to break our hearts. We enact the initiative to take government away from the special interests, only to watch the initiative process turn into a… more

(excerpt from "The Work Cut Out For Us" by George Scialabba)

We now have a bit of breathing space, thanks to the midterms. It's time to consider how the right got away with it and how to prevent it from happening again. The most useful of these books (along… more

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… more

This piece was published on Sunday. It mentions instant runoff voting, Steven Hill, and is definitely worth a read.

WASHINGTON -- Can we make it last -- the wave of good feeling, bipartisanship, shared… more

Oakland will use such a system. Davis, Calif., has opted for 'proportional representation.' Backers believe the systems make races more competitive.

SACRAMENTO - Americans have been picking politicians the same way for so long - winner take all - that it might seem there is no… more

December 19, 2006 --As Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger renews his call for an independent redistricting commission, a new opinion poll finds that California voters overwhelmingly support improvements in the election process, but there's a catch -- it depends on who is proposing them.

A… more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 12, 2006

Contact: Steven Hill (415-6655044) or David Lesher (916-448-3721)

The poll analysis, survey question and results are available below in PDF format.

SACRAMENTO, CA – As… more

A statewide survey commissioned by the New America Foundation showed overwhelming support for the idea of a Citizens Assembly. Read the full press release (excerpt below):

SACRAMENTO, CA – As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger calls for more competition in elections, a survey… more

With Democrats now in control of Congress for the first time in a dozen years, one way for Democrats to build faith with all Americans would be to pursue policies designed to increase fairness within Congress, as well as improve democracy in the United States. Change is… more

Lynne Serpe of the New America Foundation made a short pitch to the Pasadena City Council urging them to look into instant runoff voting or choice voting for electing members of the Pasadena Unified School District. Choice Voting was recommended by the Pasadena Charter Review Commission in 1997-1998 but… more

Instant Runoff Voting (IRV), an idea advanced by the New America Foundation, a Washington think tank, to give voters more influence and more choices in elections, continued to gain favor in California and elsewhere as four cities strongly approved Nov. 7 ballot measures supporting the idea, the foundation… more

(SACRAMENTO, CA) -- Instant Runoff Voting (IRV), a signature idea from the New America Foundation to give voters more influence and more choices in elections, continued to gain favor in California and… more

Pierce County, WA voters were the first to consider the use of instant runoff voting in partisan elections. IRV elections would be conducted only for the offices of county executive, County Council, assessor and treasurer. Judges and prosecutors are considered officers of the state.

This question appeared on the general election ballot on November 7, 2006:

A PROPOSAL TO USE INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS ELECTIONS

Should the City of Minneapolis adopt Single Transferable Vote, sometimes known as Ranked Choice Voting or Instant Runoff Voting, as the method for electing the Mayor,… more

The Davis advisory vote on ranked choice voting sends a strong message to the local council -- that Davis voters are interested in change, and want to see the council move forward in improving the system of electing local representatives.

Oakland voters join San Francisco and Berkeley voters in passing instant runoff voting -- sometimes known as ranked choice voting -- for use in local elections. Instant runoff voting (IRV) would mean one election, not two, in November when turnout is highest.

Program Director Steven Hill had an excellent article/opinion piece published in the Los Angeles Times on November 5th:

(Excerpt) All across California, millions of voters didn’t wait for election day. They didn’t hear any of the last-minute appeals from the candidates. They made up their minds weeks ago and filled… more

Davis voters will be asked to follow the recent lead of University of Davis students, and change the way they elect their local representatives. The New America Foundation sponsored an educational forum on Measure L and Choice Voting on Friday, October 27th from 7-9pm in Council Chambers, City Hall.… more

The Better Ballot Campaign argues that ranked choice voting will fix many of Minneapolis' current election problems by accomplishing several rounds of elections with just one easy-to-use ballot. Only 15% of registered Minneapolis voters turned out for the 2005 primary, a problem the city is hoping… more

The Yes on O campaign to improve Oakland elections with instant runoff voting is going strong. Placed on the ballot with a July 18 city council vote, Measure O aims to replace the city's June primary and November runoff with one high-turnout majority election. Enodrsers of Measure… more

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has sitting on his desk a bill that he ought to sign. Signing AB 2948 would establish California as a national leader in the effort to create a nationwide popular vote for president, which recent elections have shown would be a more democratic method than the 18th… more

In the post-World War II period, America was seen by many as the "City on the Hill," an imperfect yet nonetheless shining beacon of government of, by, and for the people. But President George W. Bush’s harsh criticisms of The New York Times and other media outlets for their reporting… more

Fidel Castro’s recent intestinal surgery led to a level of coverage in the US media usually reserved for rock stars and champion athletes. What is this fascination with the ruler of a small island nation? Is it the tempestuous cold war history, Cuba’s close proximity to Florida, memories of the… more

Watching Mexico live through a controversial presidential election was like holding up a mirror to our own election difficulties in recent years. As we round the corner and head toward the upcoming November elections -- with control of the Congress up for grabs -- what can Americans expect? Will our… more

Will your vote count on Tuesday? As we head into another election season -- with control of Congress potentially up for grabs -- ongoing concerns about voting equipment and election administration continue to worry fair elections advocates. Recent headlines have added to previous fears, but there are also signs that… more

Much hand wringing and second guessing have been produced from the recent Palestinian elections that resulted in Hamas, a group on the Bush administration's terrorist list, winning a sizable majority of legislative seats. Analysts on the right and left have scrambled for a response, with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice… more

Drawing upon the author’s 20 years of scholarship, advocacy, and two previous books, and including a trenchant foreword by The New Yorker's Hendrik Hertzberg, 10 Steps to Repair American Democracy is a "onestop" shopping guide to what's broken about our democracy, and what Americans can do to repair it.