Illinois Report Highlights Benefit of Full Representation -- July 2001
In 1999 the Institute for Government and Public Affairs (IGPA) at the University of Illinois received a major grant to conduct a study of the impact of the state's conversion from cumulative voting to single-member districts in 1980. The IGPA formed a task force to analyze different electoral systems and make recommendations. Co-chaired by former Republican governor Jim Edgar and former Democratic Congressman and federal judge Abner Mikva, the task force members included leading state legislators and civic leaders. The task force has called for reviving cumulative voting, and the Institute for Government and Public Affairs has issued an excellent report about their deliberations and the history of cumulative voting in the state. The Illinois story is a testimony to the impact of even very modest full representation plans. In this case, it still required close to 25% of the vote to win a seat in a in three-seat district, but this change was significant for a broader range of political forces to participate in elections, win representation and contribute to good policy-making. * Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois: A summary of the report released July 9 by the 'Illinois Task Force on Political Representation and Alternative Electoral Systems' entitled "Illinois should return to cumulative voting." * The complete findings of the Illinois Assembly on Political Representation and Alternative Electoral Systems are available in Adobe Acrobat (*.pdf) format: Executive Summary Report (1 meg, about 3 minutes on a 56k modem) Final Report and Background Papers (1.5 meg, about 5 minutes on a 56k modem) Recent Developments in Illinois Reform: * Read the Midwest Democracy Center's recent e-mail newsletter updates News Coverage: * WMAQ-TV (Chicago) transcript in which Dick Kay, an NBC political commentator, called for a return to cumulative voting. July 22, 2001 * Chicago Sun-Times: "Let's bring back old way of voting." Editorial, July 16. * Northwest Leader: "UIC poll explores voter participation, election standards." By Dirk C. Archer, July 11. * Chicago Sun-Times: "A Commonsense Plan to Revive Legislature." By Steve Neal, July 11. * The Daily Herald: "Group wants return to 'cumulative voting'." From the Associated Press, July 10. * Chicago Tribune : "New legislature reform push." By Christi Parsons, July 8. * Springfield Journal-Register: "A vote for cumulative voting: Task force backs system used to elect House members ended by 1980 Cutback Amendment." By Bernard Schoenburg, July 8. * Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette: "State House change deserves a look." April 26, 2001 Related Articles and Pages: * The Center for Voting and Democracy's report on Black Representation Under Cumulative Voting in IL. * An article printed in the Southern Regional Council's publication Southern Changes about winning fair representation with alternative voting systems printed in October of 2000 and written by the Center for Voting and Democracy's Executive Director Robert Richie. * Cumulative voting was used to elect Amarillo's school board for the first time on May 6, 2000. Check out our Amarillo, Texas page for more information about the adoption of this system and its impact on representation and turnout. Links: * The Midwest Democracy Center is a local partner of the Center for Voting and Democracy, located in Chicago, Illinois. * Join the Drive to Revive Cumulative Voting listserv.
IRV Soars in Twin Cities, FairVote Corrects the Pundits on Meaning of Election Night '09
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.

And as pundits try to make hay out of the national implications of Tuesday’s gubernatorial elections, Rob Richie in the Huffington Post concludes that the gubernatorial elections have little bearing on federal elections.

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