By Associated Press
Published November 1st 2005 in The Boston Globe
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. --Brattleboro could follow Burlington in instituting
instant-runoff voting, if a coalition of activist groups has its way.
The group Vermonters Restoring Democracy is mounting a petition drive asking that the idea of electing Select Board members by instant-runoff voting be considered by voters during town meeting elections in March.
Burlington will be the first Vermont community to use instant-runoff voting when residents elect a new mayor in March.
Larry Bloch, a founding member of Vermonters Restoring Democracy, said the group hopes to get other communities, and eventually state government, to adopt instant-runoff voting.
"We're encouraging other communities to push for similar reforms," Bloch said. "Hopefully that effort will be heard in Montpelier and we can go statewide."
Instant runoff voting is used when there are more than two candidates running for office and none gets more than 50 percent of the vote. Voters are asked to rank candidates in order of preference. The candidate with the fewest votes as top choice is eliminated in the first round, and his or her votes go to the voter's second choice, a process that continues until some candidate has more than 50 percent of the total vote.
Supporters of instant-runoff voting say it removes the problem of third-party candidates becoming spoilers.
More than 50 Vermont communities endorsed runoff voting at town meeting in 2002. But only Vermont towns and cities with charters can pass local laws allowing instant runoff voting to be used, according to Secretary of State Deborah Markowitz.
The group Vermonters Restoring Democracy is mounting a petition drive asking that the idea of electing Select Board members by instant-runoff voting be considered by voters during town meeting elections in March.
Burlington will be the first Vermont community to use instant-runoff voting when residents elect a new mayor in March.
Larry Bloch, a founding member of Vermonters Restoring Democracy, said the group hopes to get other communities, and eventually state government, to adopt instant-runoff voting.
"We're encouraging other communities to push for similar reforms," Bloch said. "Hopefully that effort will be heard in Montpelier and we can go statewide."
Instant runoff voting is used when there are more than two candidates running for office and none gets more than 50 percent of the vote. Voters are asked to rank candidates in order of preference. The candidate with the fewest votes as top choice is eliminated in the first round, and his or her votes go to the voter's second choice, a process that continues until some candidate has more than 50 percent of the total vote.
Supporters of instant-runoff voting say it removes the problem of third-party candidates becoming spoilers.
More than 50 Vermont communities endorsed runoff voting at town meeting in 2002. But only Vermont towns and cities with charters can pass local laws allowing instant runoff voting to be used, according to Secretary of State Deborah Markowitz.
