Instant Runoff Voting

(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 elsewhere as four cities strongly approved November 7 ballot measures supporting the idea.

In California, where San Francisco became the state's first Instant Runoff Voting city in 2004, voters in the cities of Oakland and Davis approved the idea, which would allow voters to rank their first, second, and… more

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is signaling that he will push strongly for redistricting reform next year to change California's gerrymandered election process, relying on the same bipartisan course he steered successfully this year.

Voters rejected the governor's redistricting ballot initiative in last year's special election. Legislative leaders were unable to work out a deal in time for this November's vote, but there appears to be renewed interest from both parties to fix a flawed system...

Doolittle rejected any approach that would… more

Note: Post-election versions of this op-ed also appeared in the Nov. 24 Providence Journal and the Nov. 28 San Jose Mercury News.

Regardless which party controls Congress after Election Day, the new leaders’ agenda should highlight policies designed to improve democracy and elections in the United States.

Change is certainly needed. Our constitutional framers designed the U.S. House of Representatives -- the "people’s house" -- to be the branch of government with the most power… more

The San Diego Elections Task Force, a volunteer committee created by the City of San Diego in order to research various elections reforms, began discussing IRV on Friday, September 29. Lynne Serpe, Deputy Director of the Political Reform Program, gave a 90-minute presentation on the possibility of using IRV in San Diego elections.

A PDF version of the full PowerPoint presentation can be downloaded below. For more information on IRV or the Political… more

Instant Runoff Voting is effective and easy to use. IRV is used not only in government elections but also by a number of organizations and universities. If you are interested in using IRV for elections at your campus, union, or organization, or if you just want to learn more about the voting system, the resources on this page will give you all the details on how IRV works, from the ballot to the final recount.

Flyers & Diagrams Explaining IRV more

Sacramento Bee:  Instant Runoff:  Better Choice, Lower Cost Published November 22, 2009 Instant Runoff Voting should be among the reforms considered by Sacramento voters and its Charter Review Committee, suggests New America's Blair Bobier. Read more.

Instant Runoff Voting has a long list of supporters across the political spectrum, including President Barack Obama and Senator John McCain. The Sacramento Bee, San Jose Mercury News, and USA Today have endorsed IRV, and so has the Alaska Republican Party, the California Democratic Party, the League of Women Voters, and the Sierra Club.

California’s winner-take-all electoral system is responsible for polarized politics, a balkanized legislature and declining voter turnout. Advanced electoral systems like instant runoff voting offer voters the opportunity for better choices at the ballot box, improved political debate and broader-based politics.

Loss of Moderates. Party primaries in California empower the political extremes and discourage moderates, creating a Legislature that is unable to reach compromise and is therefore subject to gridlock. Primaries are low turnout… more

In his new book, 10 Steps to Repair American Democracy, author Steven Hill says that American democracy has been working about as well as the levees around New Orleans. Hill, who is director of the New America Foundation's Political Reform program, establishes that American democracy is rooted in outdated methods and practices, from voting equipment to the way we elect the President and Congress. He outlines ways for overhauling and reinvigorating our political system and presents a comprehensive vision… more