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Eugene Register Guard
http://www.registerguard.com/news/20010419/1d.cr.citycharter.0419.html
Council likes instant runoff
idea
By Scott Maben
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.
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