Countries around the world finished presidential runoff elections this week. Bulgarians sat Nedelcho Beronov, a former high court judge, with 73.5% of votes, up from 64% in the first round. Administrators are counting ballots from the final round of Congo-Kinshasa's first democratic presidential election since independence. Ecuador will hold a presidential runoff on November 26.

Yet both elections were marked by factionalism, with a steep turnout dropoff in Bulgaria and interparty violence in DR-Congo. Most of the world's consolidated democracies require majority winners, and the most successful elections are in countries that do it in one round.

[FairVote's report Majority Rule in International Presidential Elections]

IRV is on the November ballot in four jurisdictions with a combined population of well over 1.5 million people: Minneapolis (MN), Pierce County (WA), Davis (CA) and Oakland (CA). The campaigns are doing a terrific job � please see their websites below, and enjoy the first-class new video from the Minneapolis campaign.

With these wins, the state legislative success in North Carolina and national backers including such political stars as John McCain, Howard Dean and Barack Obama, we are at no less than a tipping point. But we have less than seven weeks to win four campaigns that will show IRV's popularity and viability. Each of these campaigns needs all of our support.

[ FairVote's 2006 IRV Campaign Snapshot] NEW!
[ FairVote's 2007 IRV Hotspots ] NEW!
[ View the Minneapolis Flash, "Elect-a-Date" ]
[ Donate and help IRV win! ]
[ Yes on Three - Pierce County, WA ]
[ Better Ballot Campaign - Minneapolis, MN ]
[IRV Flash animations]

FairVote's new analysis finds that, for the third congressional cycle in a row, turnout in partisan primary runoff elections for U.S. House and Senate has decreased. In fact, it was the second worst year since 1994, with an average dropoff of 43% between the primary and primary runoff.

Of 104 Congressional primary runoffs since 1994, turnout has fallen in 101 of them. Nine states have held runoff elections in partisan primaries over the past 12 years: Florida, Missouri, Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama and Arkansas.

[ View the summary results, and download the data. ]