By Ryan Griffin
Published January 1st 2007 in Whole Life Times
Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) continued to be a popular reform across the country this fall and was approved by strong margins by voters in Oakland, Minneapolis, Davis and Pierce County, Wash. IRV gives voters the opportunity to express their opinions by ranking candidates in order of preference. Voters can support their favorite candidates without worrying about wasting votes. Ranking candidates is intuitive to voters, unlike complex weighted voting systems that are prone to strategic manipulation.
Unlike most other alternative voting systems, IRV has a proven track record of success in the US and around the world. In San Francisco and Burlington, Vt., campaigns have become more issue-oriented as candidates compete for second choice support from their opponents� supporters. IRV allows minor party and independent candidates to run and share their views without being labeled as spoilers; however, winners still need the support of a majority of voters.
There are still many problems with our democracy. IRV is one important step to fixing it.
� Ryan Griffin, IRV America Director
Election Day '09 was a roller-coaster for election reformers. Instant runoff voting had a great night in Minnesota, where St. Paul voters chose to implement IRV for its city elections, and Minneapolis voters used IRV for the first time—with local media touting it as a big success. As the Star-Tribune noted in endorsing IRV for St. Paul, Tuesday’s elections give the Twin Cities a chance to show the whole state of Minnesota the benefits of adopting IRV. There were disappointments in Lowell and Pierce County too, but high-profile multi-candidate races in New Jersey and New York keep policymakers focused on ways to reform elections; the Baltimore Sun and Miami Herald were among many newspapers publishing commentary from FairVote board member and former presidential candidate John Anderson on how IRV can mitigate the problems of plurality elections.