Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences used proportional voting to pick Oscar nominees on Monday, January 22. Voters in each category elect 5 nominees. The Academy has used choice voting - a proportional system voters approved in Minneapolis (MN) and Davis (CA) this November - since the 1930s. All members nominate best picture, while actors nominate fellow actors, directors fellow directors and so on - more or less in proportion to their level of support among the respective voters.

As is often the case, nominees reflected some real differences, with different kinds of movies and peformances highlighted. Best actor: Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond), Peter O'Toole (Venus), Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happiness) and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland). Best actress: Penelope Cruz (Volver), Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal), Helen Mirren (The Queen), Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada) and Kate Winslet (Little Children).

[ Overview of the process ]

Choice voting saw two huge wins on election day - the first time in 53 years that voters of a U.S. jurisdiction decided to elect their officials using a proportional voting method.

The Davis (CA) advisory Measure L won with 55% across the city. Meanwhile, the Minneapolis Better Ballot Campaign won implementation by 65%. Voters there will use choice voting to elect at-large park board commissioners, library board trustees and estimate and taxation board members.

The campaigns did a fantastic job.

[FairVote's post-election press release]
[Blog post with links to campaign results]

Residents of Vashon-Maury Island (WA) on November 7 used choice voting to elect a nine-member Community Council. 858 voters turned out, and 97% of ballots were filled out correctly. Voters marked paper ballots, and administrators entered votes into OpenSTV, an open-source, freeware application useful for administering elections under different voting systems.

The body is an Unincorporated Area Community Council recognized by King County.

[Read the Council press release]
[More about choice voting]
[Download election software for choice and instant runoff voting]