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 ]

Released on Thursday, March 14, The Democracy Protection Act: 40 Ways Toward a More Perfect Union calls on lawmakers to enact forty reforms including instant runoff voting, proportional voting and the National Popular Vote plan.

40 Ways is a joint publication of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU, Demos, the New Democracy Project and Nation magazine. Other proposals range from public financing of campaigns to strengthening civil rights to reform of classroom science curricula. Each proposal has a small chapter explaining its details and rationale.

Paper copies are available for $7 from the New Democracy Project.

[ Download the brief (PDF-574kb) ]
[ Order copies from New Democracy Project ]
[ Proportional voting ]
[ Instant runoff voting ]
[ National Popular Vote links ]