By Associated Press
Published July 25th 2006
RALEIGH, N.C. - The possibility of "instant runoffs" in North Carolina diminished Monday when the House set aside a Senate version of the bill that would require up to 20 counties or cities to try the method to choose runoff winners.
Instant runoffs would allow voters in local elections to rank their order of preference among the candidates. It's meant as a way to improve voter participation and reduce expensive runoff elections.
"It'll be very confusing to vote this way," said Rep. Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, before the House voted 45-61 against the Senate bill. "I think the only other way I've seen this done is when you vote for homecoming queen, when you pick first, second and third."
The vote leaves the future of the bill in doubt, although the House could ask that a conference committee be set up with the Senate to work out a compromise. But with lawmakers interested in adjourning this week and the Senate at home until at least Wednesday, time is running out.
Under the bill, election officials initially would tally only the first choices of voters. If the leading candidate failed to win more than 40 percent of the first-choice votes, the top two candidates would advance to the runoff.
Election officials would then examine the ballots of voters whose preferred candidate was eliminated. The remaining candidates would get votes for being the highest-ranked alternative choice. Those votes would be added to their original tally and the candidate with the most total votes would win.
The measure also would increase the time between primary elections and runoffs from four weeks to seven weeks. The House agreed to the bill in 2005, when it contained only the city and county runoff pilots.
An instant runoff also would be required in an election when an appellate court or Superior Court judge leaves office close to the general election. The provision was added after eight candidates ran for a Supreme Court seat vacated by Justice Robert Orr in 2004.
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.