Organizations that use proportional representation and instant runoff voting

(Very draft - 9/27/00)

Please send names of additional organizations to [email protected] (301) 270-4616

The following is a list of jurisdictions and organizations that use the choice voting/single-transferable vote form of proportional representation and instant runoff voting. Instant runoff voting and choice voting are both voting systems in which voters rank candidates in order of choice.

Current users

General elections

• Cambridge MA city council and school board (choice)

Primary elections and nominations

• Summit County (Utah) Republican Party (nomination for county commissioner) (IRV)
• Reform Party USA (presidential nomination) (IRV)
• Association of State Green Parties (presidential nomination) (IRV)

Non-government organizations (selected cases only)

• Academy Award nominations (choice)
• American Geophysical Union (choice)
• American Mensa� (choice)
• American Political Science Association (IRV)
• American Psychological Association (IRV and choice)
• Committees of Correspondence, a left political group (choice)
• International Training in Communications (choice)
• San Francisco Bike Coalition (choice)
• International Alliance for Women in Music (choice)

Universities:� student government and faculty/staff elections

• University of California student government (choice)
• Cornell Faculty Senate

Previous users

Statewide primary elections

• Florida
• Indiana
• Maryland
• Minnesota

Local elections

• Ann Arbor MI
• New York City (choice)
• Cincinnati OH (choice)
• Boulder CO (choice)
• Hopkins MN (choice)

Over 18 other cities used choice voting in the 30s, 40s and 50s.� Eventually all but Cambridge MA and New York community school boards were overturned because of racial tension � these systems led to the election of African-Americans and women, and some people didn�t like that; red-baiting � these systems led to the election of some leftists candidates, and some people didn�t like that; and the burdens of hand counting ballots, which has been resolved because of the introduction of automated equipment that can handle transferable ballots.

States studying or considering IRV

• Alaska
• Hawaii
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• New Mexico
• North Carolina
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Texas
• Vermont
• Wisconsin

Towns and counties studying or considering IRV

• New York, NY
• Austin, TX
• Vancouver, WA
• Kalamazoo, MI
• Oakland, CA
• Pasadena, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• Santa Clara County, CA
• Santa Monica CA

International users � (selected cases only)

• Australia � House of Representatives (IRV)
• Australia � Senate (choice)
• Ireland � president elected (IRV)
• Ireland � parliament and local and regional councils (choice voting)
• Mayor of London (IRV)
• Malta (IRV and choice)

International users � non-government

• Literally thousands of non-government organizations and corporations use IRV and choice voting.

From Tom Bryer (Reform America, Inc) July 2000

• John Hopkins University used Instant Run-off Voting for its freshman student council elections for the first time in the fall of 1999.
• The Miami University (Ohio) Faculty Senate has used ranked choice voting for some time for its Faculty Senate.�
• Stanford University has been using Choice Voting for its academic elections (Senate, Steering Committee, and Advisory Board) since at least 1973.�
• University of California at Berkeley student government has been using Choice Voting and IRV since perhaps the 1940's.� They have approximately 8000 votes each election, with typically around 100 candidates running for 15 seats. The count is performed entirely manually, and they use the fractional Choice Voting count!
• The University of Illinois Math Department Councils have been elected with Choice Voting since the late 1950's. The vote is tallied using a computer program by Jim Parr, who is associated with the university.
• The University of Wisconsin, Madison uses cumulative voting.
• Harvard uses the Instant Runoff to select the student president.
• The University of Chicago Law School uses the Instant Runoff to select the recipients of class awards.