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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