The city of Cary has become the first North Carolina city to take advantage of a new state law allowing cities to use instant runoff voting for local elections. Cary will use IRV this October to for mayoral and city council elections, eliminating the need for a separate high-cost, low-turnout runoff. Other cities in the state are expected to follow Cary's lead in the coming weeks. [ Wake County Board of Elections press release ]
[ More about the North Carolina IRV pilot project ]
[ FAQ's about IRV in North Carolina ]
The week of May 7th, 2007, was a big week for IRV across the country. The Illinois Senate approved legislation that would adopt ranked ballots for military and overseas voters. The Vermont House Government Operations Committee approved a bill, already approved by the Senate, to adopt IRV for U.S. Senate and House races in Vermont. In California, the Assembly Appropriations Committee approved legislation that would give local governments the option of using IRV.
On April 26th, 2007, the Vermont Senate approved legislation that would implement IRV for congressional elections beginning in 2008. This legislation generated strong support from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, U.S. Rep. Peter Welch and the League of Women Voters of Vermont. IRV has a strong history of support in Vermont including endorsement resolutions from many towns as well as an endorsement from former governor Howard Dean.
