Despite its reluctance to endorse Instant Runoff Voting, it's obvious the Undergraduate Council of Students doesn't like runoffs.
For years, in the event no candidate for a UCS executive board position - including that of president - captured a majority of all votes cast, UCS officials tried to work around the system. They gathered the candidates behind closed doors and, without indicating who had captured the plurality, asked if they would accept the results as final.
That system saved the campus from time-consuming - and occasionally controversial - runoffs a number of times. But it ran counter to the UCS constitution, which states, "a run-off election will be held between those two candidates having the largest plurality for a position in order to establish ... a majority."
Just as the national political conventions have moved away from smoky back rooms to a more public method of selecting nominees, UCS is heading in the right direction with the IRV proposal it presents to students today. Under an IRV system, candidates will never be put in the position of choosing between the integrity of the vote and the hassle of ordering a runoff. Students will know the undisputed results of the election sooner. And most importantly, by making it more reasonable for voters to pick the true candidate of their choice, IRV might encourage more students to run for UCS executive positions.
We urge students to approve the proposed IRV system. We recognize that voting on voting may not be the most attractive use of time this week. But we encourage students to find the time - a few minutes is all it takes - to participate in the WebCT referendum.
The non-binding survey questions provide an additional chance to inform UCS of student opinion. Those who respond will have the opportunity to weigh in on issues that have already appeared in these pages this year, including activities fees, winter J-terms and RIPTA passes. There's a chance to advocate favorite cable channels and discuss academic advising and kegs on campus.
The results of the survey will be far from scientifically precise, but a randomly sampled poll is much more costly. If students are upset about campus life issues, they should use this opportunity to make their collective voices heard, while adding precision to the UCS election process.
For years, in the event no candidate for a UCS executive board position - including that of president - captured a majority of all votes cast, UCS officials tried to work around the system. They gathered the candidates behind closed doors and, without indicating who had captured the plurality, asked if they would accept the results as final.
That system saved the campus from time-consuming - and occasionally controversial - runoffs a number of times. But it ran counter to the UCS constitution, which states, "a run-off election will be held between those two candidates having the largest plurality for a position in order to establish ... a majority."
Just as the national political conventions have moved away from smoky back rooms to a more public method of selecting nominees, UCS is heading in the right direction with the IRV proposal it presents to students today. Under an IRV system, candidates will never be put in the position of choosing between the integrity of the vote and the hassle of ordering a runoff. Students will know the undisputed results of the election sooner. And most importantly, by making it more reasonable for voters to pick the true candidate of their choice, IRV might encourage more students to run for UCS executive positions.
We urge students to approve the proposed IRV system. We recognize that voting on voting may not be the most attractive use of time this week. But we encourage students to find the time - a few minutes is all it takes - to participate in the WebCT referendum.
The non-binding survey questions provide an additional chance to inform UCS of student opinion. Those who respond will have the opportunity to weigh in on issues that have already appeared in these pages this year, including activities fees, winter J-terms and RIPTA passes. There's a chance to advocate favorite cable channels and discuss academic advising and kegs on campus.
The results of the survey will be far from scientifically precise, but a randomly sampled poll is much more costly. If students are upset about campus life issues, they should use this opportunity to make their collective voices heard, while adding precision to the UCS election process.
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.