The Way We Vote


By Rob Richie
Published April 2nd 2003
 Janet Malcolm's attack on third-party candidacies (letter, March 26) is based on the fact that George W. Bush was elected even though a majority of voters in Florida and the country voted for either Al Gore or Ralph Nader. She should attack our antiquated plurality voting system rather than third-party candidates who seek to bring diverse viewpoints into elections.

Most countries choose presidents in runoff elections, which ensure that the popular will is respected. They also ensure that voters are not punished for exploring options other than the major candidates, who, in their efforts to capture at least half the votes, too often avoid the most pressing issues.

Better still is Australia's instant runoff voting, which accomplishes the goals of runoffs but in a single election.
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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