Nader hitch in Kerry election plan
Letter to the Editor

By Dan Kalb
Published April 4th 2004 in San Francisco Chronicle
Editor -- Your front-page article about Ralph Nader causes me great concern ("Nader a threat to Kerry, polls say," April 1). Certainly, Nader has been a premier consumer advocate in this country for nearly 40 years. But that doesn't mean it makes sense for him to run for president this year.

I'm sure Nader will do what he wants to do, but no one is holding a gun to anyone's head saying you have to vote for him.

I supported Howard Dean in the primary and, as an environmental advocate, I certainly understand the need for progressive reform. However, the stakes are way too high in this election.

I call upon all past and present Nader supporters to rally around future Democratic nominee John Kerry this year. Kerry is our best hope to bring sanity back to the White House.
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.

Links