A Civic Act


By John B. Anderson
Published September 20th 2001
To the Editor:

Before Sept. 11 became a national tragedy, it was Election Day in New York City. Not a few of those who lost their lives at the World Trade Center had voted before going to work -- perhaps their last civic act.

Their votes were nullified when the election was canceled and rescheduled for Sept. 25. That primary may well determine how representative and effective city government will be as New York recovers and rebuilds.

What better way for New Yorkers to honor the dead and to show the world the resiliency of our democracy than to go to the polls in huge numbers and help shape the city's future?

John B. Anderson
Chairman
Center for Voting and Democracy
Takoma Park, Md.
September 17, 2001

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