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Press Release: Congressional Legislation
on
Instant Runoff
Voting
November 6,
2001
Press release �
Tuesday, November 6, 2001
Contact:
Rob Richie
The
Center for Voting and Democracy
www.fairvote.org
301.270.4616
RANKED BALLOTS IN THE
UNITED STATES: PROVEN ELECTORAL REFORM GAINING SUPPORT
CAMBRIDGE,
MASSACHUSETTS HOLDS AN ELECTION TODAY USING RANKED BALLOTS FOR CITY
COUNCIL
REP. JESSE
JACKSON, JR. INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO ENCOURAGE STATES TO USE
INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
Highlighting the
growing support for ranked ballots (where voters give a �1� to their
first choice candidate, a �2� to their second choice, and so on),
U.S. Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Illinois) introduced
legislation today creating incentives for states to adopt instant
runoff voting for allocating electoral votes in their state. On the
same day Cambridge, Massachusetts held an election for city council
and school committee using choice voting, a ranked ballot system
adopted in the city in 1941.
Instant runoff voting works like a regular
runoff to find a majority winner, but with just one election. Voters mark their
first-choice candidate, but also have the option of indicating their runoff
choices. If no candidate gets a first-choice majority, a runoff can
be conducted without calling the voters back for a second election -- voters
whose favorite candidate is eliminated in the runoff
have already indicated their alternate choices. The system is used to elect the
mayor of London, the president of Ireland and the legislature of
Australia.
Legislation has been introduced on
instant runoff voting in more than a dozen states, including several
bills that would convert to instant runoff voting for presidential
elections. States have full authority over how they choose to
allocate electoral votes. Rep. Jackson's legislation would provide
full federal funding for modernizing election administration in
states that chose to adopt instant runoff voting in presidential
elections.
�Instant runoff
voting represents the wave of the future in American elections. It
solves problems that stifle participation and thwart majority
rule: wasted votes, spoiler candidacies and being stuck
with the lesser-of-two-evils,� said Rob Richie, Executive Director
of the Center for Voting and Democracy, a national non-profit that
studies and advocates for more democratic electoral
systems.
Congressman Jackson
declared �With IRV, our politics would take a strong step toward
what democracy should be about: majority rule, providing voters with
real choices, encouraging debate on issues and building coalitions
among people."
Cambridge,
Massachusetts has a 60-year tradition of using ranked ballots to
elect its local leaders. Voters enjoy the ability to select
their first, second and third choice, without any fear of wasting or
splitting the vote. The nine-member council is elected by
proportional representation. Any candidate that earns a ninth of the
vote will win one of the nine seats, and any five candidates
with a majority of the vote will win a majority of seats. The system
is widely appreciated in the city, and results in higher turnout
than comparable jurisdictions.
Instant runoff voting has
recently been touted in Jesse Jackson, Jr.�s new book �A More Perfect Union� and Ted
Halstead and Michael Lind�s new book �The Radical Center.�
Those advocating instant runoff voting this year include Common
Cause President Scott Harshbarger, USA Today, Vermont Governor
Howard Dean, the Alaska Republican Party and California legislative
leaders Robert Hertzberg and Kevin Shelley.
Weblinks:
Jesse Jackson Jr.�s political
website
www.jessejacksonjr.org
Center for Voting and Democracy
www.fairvote.org
City of Cambridge Elections Division (and
explanation of voting system)
www.ci.cambridge.ma.us/~Election/
www.ci.cambridge.ma.us/~Election/prop-voting.html
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