On March 9, Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe signed legislation requiring instant runoff ballots for all overseas absentee voters. This is an expansion of the state's successful use of ranked ballots to ensure overseas military voters' ballots are counted. The bill was approved unanimously by both houses of the legislature.
Springfield, IL, also has the opportunity to use instant runoff ballots to protect overseas voters. The city council has placed a measure for instant runoff ballots on the April 17 ballot. This measure has received support from the mayor and the county election administrator.
[ Why IRV is needed for military and overseas voters ]
[ Press Release from the Arkansas Secretary of State ]
[ Learn about the Springfield campaign at www.IncludeEveryVoter.org ]
[ Read the Arkansas law ]
Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee last week signed
legislation providing that overseas military voters will receive instant
runoff voting ballots in all federal, state and local elections that
might have a runoff. Championed by Republican state legislator Horace
Hardwick (left) and passed with only one dissenting vote in the
legislature, HB 1770 solves a problem for overseas military voters.
Runoff elections often take place too soon after the first round to
provide time for runoff ballots to be printed, mailed and returned in
time to count.