Citizens of Burlington, Vermont went to the polls on Tuesday, March 3rd to vote for the second time in an election using instant runoff voting. At 8:25 PM, the city declared that incumbent Mayor Bob Kiss had won reelection in the third and final round of counting, narrowly edging out challenger Kurt Wright, 51.5% to 48.5%. The race was unique in that it had four candidates that had a legitimate shot at winning: Progressive Kiss, Republican Wright, Democrat Andy Montroll, and independent Dan Smith. In most other American cities, there would be fear of "spoiler" candidates, but IRV allowed all four candidates to run without having to worry about being labeled "spoilers."IRV is also credited for making the race one of the more civil that Burlington has seen, as candidates were hesitant to attack one another for fear of losing their opponents' second choice support. Democratic City Councilman Bill Keogh was quoted as saying the race was "the most respectful and informative campaign in Burlington in a long time."
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On April 4, Vermont governor Jim Douglas chose to veto legislation to re-establish majority elections for Congress in his state through instant runoff voting. Vermont would have been the first state to enact IRV for Congress; legislative leaders affirmed their commitment to the bill, and it is sure to move in the state again. FairVote has worked hard to support this legislation, which likely generated more than 600 phone calls to the governor from Vermonters.
On March 14, 2008, the Vermont House joined the Senate in approving legislation that would implement instant runoff voting (IRV) for congressional elections beginning in 2008. The measure passed by a vote of 81 to 60. If this bill is implemented, Vermont will be the first state to adopt IRV for statewide elections. This legislation generated strong support from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, Common Cause, Vermont PIRG, FairVote and the League of Women Voters of Vermont. IRV has a strong history of support in Vermont including endorsements from more than 50 town meetings and former governor Howard Dean. 