Any election is about votes, but the Minneapolis city election this year could offer an interesting twist: It could include a public debate about how to vote -- or, more precisely, how best to register and count votes in races involving more than two candidates.
A petition drive is in progress that could put on the Minneapolis ballot this fall a switch to a voting method called "instant runoff voting" in future city elections.
It is a voting method that allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, as many or as few as they like. Votes for the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes are redistributed according to their second choices, until one candidate achieves a majority or, in the case of multiseat elections, passes the threshold needed for election. The consequences are much the same as conducting a runoff election, without the time and expense of opening the polls for a second time.
Instant runoff voting has been used in various democracies around the world since the mid-1800s. But it has not caught on in the United States because most elections here have been two-way contests -- until recently.
The rise of serious third-party candidates -- Gov. Jesse Ventura most prominent among them -- is propelling new interest in the method. It would enable third-party voters to redirect their votes to the alternative candidate of their choice, should their candidate not emerge on top. No more would they be accused of casting a "wasted vote," or of playing the spoiler.
Instant runoff voting has detractors, too, particularly among those who want to maintain two-party dominance in American politics. Instant runoff voting encourages more choices but also results in a winner who can claim majority support.
The merits and defects of instant runoff voting will become matters of public debate, if the petition drive led by a coalition of election reformers and third-party activists succeeds in landing a voting-method charter change on the November ballot. It would be a debate worth having. Minneapolis voters can help make it happen by contacting David Kaminsky at 612-331-1681, or at [email protected].
A petition drive is in progress that could put on the Minneapolis ballot this fall a switch to a voting method called "instant runoff voting" in future city elections.
It is a voting method that allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, as many or as few as they like. Votes for the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes are redistributed according to their second choices, until one candidate achieves a majority or, in the case of multiseat elections, passes the threshold needed for election. The consequences are much the same as conducting a runoff election, without the time and expense of opening the polls for a second time.
Instant runoff voting has been used in various democracies around the world since the mid-1800s. But it has not caught on in the United States because most elections here have been two-way contests -- until recently.
The rise of serious third-party candidates -- Gov. Jesse Ventura most prominent among them -- is propelling new interest in the method. It would enable third-party voters to redirect their votes to the alternative candidate of their choice, should their candidate not emerge on top. No more would they be accused of casting a "wasted vote," or of playing the spoiler.
Instant runoff voting has detractors, too, particularly among those who want to maintain two-party dominance in American politics. Instant runoff voting encourages more choices but also results in a winner who can claim majority support.
The merits and defects of instant runoff voting will become matters of public debate, if the petition drive led by a coalition of election reformers and third-party activists succeeds in landing a voting-method charter change on the November ballot. It would be a debate worth having. Minneapolis voters can help make it happen by contacting David Kaminsky at 612-331-1681, or at [email protected].
Election Day '09 was a roller-coaster for election reformers. Instant runoff voting had a great night in Minnesota, where St. Paul voters chose to implement IRV for its city elections, and Minneapolis voters used IRV for the first time—with local media touting it as a big success. As the Star-Tribune noted in endorsing IRV for St. Paul, Tuesday’s elections give the Twin Cities a chance to show the whole state of Minnesota the benefits of adopting IRV. There were disappointments in Lowell and Pierce County too, but high-profile multi-candidate races in New Jersey and New York keep policymakers focused on ways to reform elections; the Baltimore Sun and Miami Herald were among many newspapers publishing commentary from FairVote board member and former presidential candidate John Anderson on how IRV can mitigate the problems of plurality elections.