Latest Oakland IRV Updates

  • MEASURE O WINS!! THANK YOU to the 68.6% of Oakland voters (64,093 votes, more than for any other municipal candidate or measure in 2006) who voted YES on Measure O. We look forward to working with the community to make sure that people are educated about how instant runoff voting (IRV) works and its many benefits for Oakland.
  • Listen to a 60-second radio spot urging YES on O by City Attorney John Russo.
  • Read the Oakland Tribune's endorsement of Instant Runoff Voting (IRV).
  • ¡GRACIAS PARA VOTAR Sí en O! Mira en Español. Chinese: 「屋崙市即時複選」

Instant Runoff Voting in the City of Oakland

Instant Runoff Voting or IRV can make Oakland's elections less expensive, faster and more fair. Despite these benefits, IRV is simple to use and not a big change to make. We'd like Oakland to adopt IRV for all its elections. LEARN MORE »

Voting with IRV is Easy

IRV is simple: Voters rank candidates on their ballots. If one candidate receives a majority of the vote, he or she is elected as usual. In a close race though, voters' second or third choices are used to "instantly" decide the winner — just like a normal runoff but without the delay or cost of a second election. LEARN MORE »

IRV Saves Oakland Money

When no candidate wins with a majority, Oakland must hold a runoff. IRV eliminates these very costly second elections, saving up to half a million dollars for each citywide runoff avoided. LEARN MORE »

IRV Makes Your Vote Count

With IRV, there are no "spoilers" — voters are free to choose as they wish without concern for strategizing or supporting only "electable" candidates. IRV is especially critical for Oakland's special elections: Politicians have been elected with as little as 28% of the vote under today's rules. IRV ensures that every election has a winner chosen by a majority of voters. IRV would also increase voter turnout by 60 percent.LEARN MORE »

The Path to IRV

IRV in Oakland will need to be approved by the people as an amendment to the city charter. The first step in this was to put IRV on the ballot, and we've accomplished that. Now Measure O is on the November 2006 ballot, and we're campaigning to pass it. Find out how you can help win IRV for Oakland: GET STARTED »