Roll Call
Instant Runoffs Gaining
Support
Dan Johnson-Weinberger May 31, 2001
I think the Libertarians' argument
that they spoiled two Senate races for the Republicans is more valid
than what you indicated in the May 28 edition of "Heard on the
Hill." So long as states continue to use plurality elections where
"winners" don't have to earn a majority of votes, this structural
problem is not going away for the major parties, especially in close
races where third party candidates consistently earn a few
percentage points.
The ultimate answer to the problem
of spoiled elections through split votes is emerging in more states
every year: instant runoff voting. A dozen states introduced
legislation to use instant runoff voting this year, more will surely
come in 2002. Republicans have led the way in Alaska by putting it
on the November 2002 ballot for federal races; the Democratic
Speaker of the California state Assembly, Robert Hertzberg, is a
supporter. Savvy political operatives should consider joining them
and working to take out "spoiler" insurance in their home states by
implementing instant runoff voting.
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Dan Johnson-Weinberger, National Field Director, Center for Voting
and Democracy |