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Sample IRV/Choice Motion

An Amendment to Introduce Instant Runoff Voting and Choice Voting

 

WHEREAS Title ____, Chapter ____, Section ___ of the by-laws reads ��� [__the current text providing for plurality or runoff elections___],��� and

 

WHEREAS [___any problem the SGA has faced; ex: runoff elections cost the SGA $XXXX for each instance; candidates have won races with less than majority support of the campus in recent elections; voter turnout has declined for runoffs in recent elections, etc.___]

 

WHEREAS instant runoff voting ensures that a candidate wins an election with majority support without the need for a runoff election, while encouraging positive campaigning,

 

BE IT ENACTED that Title ___, Chapter ____, Sections ___ of the by-laws be amended to read:

 

Section ____ For the purposes of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply:

 

"Instant Runoff Voting" means a method of casting and tabulating votes that simulates the ballot counts that would occur if all voters participated in a series of runoff elections with one candidate eliminated after each round of counting. In elections using the Instant Runoff Voting method, voters may rank the candidates in order of preference.

"Advancing candidate" means a candidate who has not been eliminated.

"Continuing ballot" means a ballot that is not an exhausted ballot.

"Exhausted ballot" means a ballot on which there are no choices marked other than choices for eliminated candidates.

Section ____ For the offices of [___SGA President, Trustee, Area Government Officers, House Council Officers, and all single-seat Senate races___], the ballots shall be counted by the method of instant runoff voting, prescribed herein:

 

1. The initial round of counting shall be a count of the first choices marked on each ballot.  If any candidate receives a majority of the first choices, that candidate shall be declared the winner, pending ratification.

 

2. If no candidate receives a majority of first choices, there shall be a second round of counting.  The last-place candidate shall be eliminated, and all the continuing ballots shall be recounted.  Each continuing ballot shall be counted as one vote for that ballot���s highest ranked advancing candidate.

 

3. If no candidate receives a majority at the second round of counting, there shall be a third round of counting, continuing in the manner prescribed above.

 

4. The process of eliminating the last-place candidates and recounting all the continuing ballots shall continue until one candidate receives a majority of the votes in a round.  The candidate who receives a majority of the votes in a round shall be declared the winner, pending ratification.

 

5. When a ballot does not list a preference for any given round, it shall not be counted in that round or any subsequent round.

 

6. If there are not sufficient second and lower choices for any candidate to receive a majority, the candidate with the highest number of votes shall be declared the winner, pending ratification.

 

7. When a ballot becomes an exhausted ballot it shall not be counted in that round or any subsequent round.

 

Section ____ For multi-seat Senate races, the ballots shall be counted by the method of choice voting with fractional transfer, prescribed herein:

 

Section ____ For multi-seat Senate races, the ballots shall be counted by the method of choice voting with fractional transfer, prescribed herein:

1. The threshold for victory shall be one more than the number of valid ballots cast divided by one more than the number of available seats
[(ballots/(seats+1))+1]. In order to attain a seat, a candidate must
receive a number of votes equal to the threshold for victory.

2. The initial round of counting shall be a count of the first choices
marked on each ballot.  If any candidate reaches the threshold from the
first choices, that candidate shall be declared a winner, pending
ratification.

3. Any winning candidate's surplus votes above the amount needed to reach the threshold for victory shall be allocated proportionally to the next highest choices on that candidate's continuing ballots, using the fractional transfer method described as follows.  When a candidate is declared a winner, the surplus votes beyond the threshold for victory will be redistributed to the next choice candidates of that winner, assigning a portion of this surplus to each of these candidates in an amount equal to [(number of winner's next choice votes cast for next choice candidate/total number of votes cast for winning candidate) x number of surplus votes].

4. This process shall continue until all seats are filled or no other
candidate has reached the threshold of victory through redistribution of
surplus choices in a round.

5. If not all seats have been filled and no other candidate has reached the
threshold through redistribution of surplus choices in a round, elimination
rounds shall ensue. The last-place candidate shall be eliminated, and all
the continuing ballots shall be redistributed among their next highest choices.

6. If still no candidate reaches the threshold of victory through continuing choices in a round, the process of eliminating the last-place candidates and recounting all the continuing ballots shall continue until one candidate receives the threshold of continuing choices in a round.

7. When a ballot does not list a preference for any given round, it shall not be counted in that round or any subsequent round.

8. If there are not sufficient second and lower choices for any candidate to receive a majority, the candidate with the highest number of votes shall be declared the winner, pending ratification.

9. When a ballot becomes an exhausted ballot it shall not be counted in that round or any subsequent round.
 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that before the first election to be held using Instant Runoff Voting, the [___Elections Commission___] shall conduct a voter education campaign to familiarize voters with Instant Runoff Voting and Choice Voting.

 

 

TIP: If all expenditures must be approved by a budget or ways & means committee, check if you need to include an additional resolution to appropriate any necessary funds for equipment upgrades or voter education.


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