By Scott Maben
Published April 19th 2001 in Eugene Register Guard
The Eugene City Council gave preference voting for city elections a warm reception Wednesday but threw cold water on the idea of increasing the panel's ranks by two.
Instant runoff voting, in which citizens may rank their choices of all candidates rather than pick just one, may be headed to the ballot. All eight councilors agreed to have a city charter amendment drawn up to consider sending it to voters.
Supporters of instant runoff voting contend it gives voters more flexibility in supporting the candidates they like and reduces election and campaign costs.
"I think this is a great improvement," Council President Betty Taylor said. "I think it's a first step toward campaign finance reform, for one thing."
Councilor David Kelly also supported the proposal, saying instant runoff voting "is better for the candidates and it's better for the voters."
In the same noontime meeting, the council unanimously defeated a recommendation to send voters a proposal to add two members to the council as a way to keep ward populations low and campaign spending in check.
Councilors said they were concerned about the effect on how the council functions. Several said it's hard enough to give everyone time to speak; bringing two more people to the table would make deliberations even more difficult.
Potential advantages, including less time and money spent campaigning, do not justify fiddling with something as fundamental as the number of elected city representatives, several councilors said.
Both ideas came from a panel of nine residents appointed by the council in December to spend this year reviewing aspects of the city charter, the basis for city government.
Most councilors said they like the concept of instant runoff voting, which would tally the second choice of voters whose first choice finishes last when no one candidate wins outright. Third preferences would be tallied if no candidate claims a majority in the second round of counting votes.
The state elections office has said instant runoff voting is not permitted under Oregon law. In response, the council agreed that the city should support legislation, either this year or in 2003, to make the practice legal. If city voters approve a charter amendment to adopt instant runoff voting, it would not take effect unless lawmakers change state law, the council said.
Councilors said they are not interested in challenging the state in court over the matter because the estimated cost - $100,000 to $150,000 - is too great.
The new voting method might be a lot for people to understand, Councilor Nancy Nathanson said, but "with the right kind of explanation, it isn't complicated."
But Councilor Scott Meisner said he is less sure of the city's ability to explain how it works. "We have a substantial public education process that the city would have to undertake," Meisner said.
The proposal will come back to the council for review before a vote to send it to the ballot, either for September or a later election.
Councilor Pat Farr made a motion to model Eugene elections after Springfield's system, in which councilors represent wards but are elected citywide rather than within their wards.
The council delayed the vote until it could study and discuss the proposal further.
The charter committee has turned its attention to other matters, including councilors' conflict of interest and the role of the mayor and city manager.
Instant runoff voting, in which citizens may rank their choices of all candidates rather than pick just one, may be headed to the ballot. All eight councilors agreed to have a city charter amendment drawn up to consider sending it to voters.
Supporters of instant runoff voting contend it gives voters more flexibility in supporting the candidates they like and reduces election and campaign costs.
"I think this is a great improvement," Council President Betty Taylor said. "I think it's a first step toward campaign finance reform, for one thing."
Councilor David Kelly also supported the proposal, saying instant runoff voting "is better for the candidates and it's better for the voters."
In the same noontime meeting, the council unanimously defeated a recommendation to send voters a proposal to add two members to the council as a way to keep ward populations low and campaign spending in check.
Councilors said they were concerned about the effect on how the council functions. Several said it's hard enough to give everyone time to speak; bringing two more people to the table would make deliberations even more difficult.
Potential advantages, including less time and money spent campaigning, do not justify fiddling with something as fundamental as the number of elected city representatives, several councilors said.
Both ideas came from a panel of nine residents appointed by the council in December to spend this year reviewing aspects of the city charter, the basis for city government.
Most councilors said they like the concept of instant runoff voting, which would tally the second choice of voters whose first choice finishes last when no one candidate wins outright. Third preferences would be tallied if no candidate claims a majority in the second round of counting votes.
The state elections office has said instant runoff voting is not permitted under Oregon law. In response, the council agreed that the city should support legislation, either this year or in 2003, to make the practice legal. If city voters approve a charter amendment to adopt instant runoff voting, it would not take effect unless lawmakers change state law, the council said.
Councilors said they are not interested in challenging the state in court over the matter because the estimated cost - $100,000 to $150,000 - is too great.
The new voting method might be a lot for people to understand, Councilor Nancy Nathanson said, but "with the right kind of explanation, it isn't complicated."
But Councilor Scott Meisner said he is less sure of the city's ability to explain how it works. "We have a substantial public education process that the city would have to undertake," Meisner said.
The proposal will come back to the council for review before a vote to send it to the ballot, either for September or a later election.
Councilor Pat Farr made a motion to model Eugene elections after Springfield's system, in which councilors represent wards but are elected citywide rather than within their wards.
The council delayed the vote until it could study and discuss the proposal further.
The charter committee has turned its attention to other matters, including councilors' conflict of interest and the role of the mayor and city manager.
