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Ballot Measure
Wins in Massachusetts
November
2002
On November 5, 2002, voters in two Massachusetts
legislative districts gave a strong endorsement to instant runoff
voting (IRV) on election day. IRV ensures that in a race with three
or more candidates, the winner has the support of the majority of
voters. State supporters argued IRV solves the "spoiler" problem and
encourages more people to vote.
The advisory question won 67% in the 1st Hampshire
District and 71% in the 3rd Hampshire District. State
Representatives Peter Kocot and Ellen Story both announced their
backing for the measure, as did Kocot's opponent, Michael Aleo.
Representative Story is re-filing a bill that would establish IRV
elections to the six statewide constitutional offices, including
governor.
IRV lets voters rank candidates in order of
preference. On election day, Fairvote Massachusetts (the
ballot-question committee behind the measure) conducted an exit poll
in Amherst. According to the survey, most of Jill Stein's supporters
in Amherst would have given their second preference votes to
Democrat Shannon O'Brien. In a closer election, that trend could
have elected O'Brien instead of Romney. In the hotly contested
Democratic primary, O'Brien was the beneficiary of a plurality
system that may have split a majority vote for one of her opponents.
Interest in IRV is growing rapidly in Masaschusetts.
At a Town Meeting in Amherest on November 6, voters asked the Select
Board to look at whether the system could work in future town
elections. In a Hampshire
Gazette news story, state Sen. Stanley Rosenberg said that
he "fully expects instant runoff proponets to eventually mount a
statewide ballot question on it." The Boston
Phoenix, which endorsed the measures, reported that "Tuesdays
vote won't make instant-runoff elections happen all by itself, but
the fact that voters approved the Green-sponsored measure
overwhelmingly (15,322 to 7007) in these Western Mass districts will
surely make it a topic of discussion in the Bay State."
For more on Massachusetts IRV activism, see the
webpage of FairVote
Massachusetts. |
