Richard Schmalbeck got it wrong in his Dec. 28 Point of View article that blamed Ralph Nader's candidacy for Al Gore's losing the presidency to George W. Bush. The real culprit is the lack of instant runoff voting(IRV) in U.S. presidential elections.
As Schmalbeck pointed out, Nader attracted 97,000 votes in Florida and 29,000 votes in New Hampshire -- far more than the margin by which Bush gained those states' electoral votes and thus the presidency. Polls show most Nader voters would have supported Gore if Nader had not been on the ballot.

The instant runoff allows voters to rank their choices (first, second, third, etc.) in a multicandidate election. Votes then transfer from losing candidates to the voter's next-choice candidate. With IRV, Nader supporters in Florida and New Hampshire could have cast their second choice vote for Gore, allowing him to carry both states and win the electoral vote decisively.

Nader and those who support him have the same right all Americans enjoy to fully participate in the political process. IRV would let them support their candidate of choice without having that vote boost someone whose policies are anathema to them. I hope Schmalbeck will join the effort to bring IRV to more U.S. elections.