A county judge in Minnesota has sided on every legal issue with the city
of Minneapolis and defendant intervenor FairVote Minnesota in a challenge
against Minneapolis implementing instant runoff voting and choice voting
for its elections this November. The ruling is a sweeping victory for
advocates of IRV and proportional voting in Minneapolis. With a 65%
mandate from voters in a 2006 measure, the city will move forward on
implementing these systems for November 2009.The ruling comes in the midst of major interest in instant runoff voting in Minnesota in the wake of the controversial U.S. Senate recount. The Washington Post cited it in an editorial on Jan. 13, while several leading Minnesotans have embraced IRV for statewide elections.
The current Electoral College system is a democratic eyesore. It allows for the election of presidential candidates with fewer votes than opponents and makes most Americans spectators in the election of their president. FairVote supports a national popular vote for president. Its executive director Rob Richie was a guest on C-SPAN's Washington Journal on January 8th for a debate on the Electoral College. FairVote also welcomes new legislation by Sen. Bill Nelson to change the Constitution and is particularly focused on the drive for the National Popular Vote plan in the states.