Austin Chronicle ![]() Political Notebook Column by Erica
C. Barnett
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2001-03-30/pols_naked2.html We've been hearing a lot of talk
lately about instant runoff voting, a voting system that allows
oters to rank candidates in the order of their preference.
With IRV, if no one gets a majority,
the candidate with the fewest votes drops out of the running, and
the votes of everyone who
voted for that candidate are automatically "re-cast" for
their second choices. Confusing? Yes, but "when you see it
on paper, it works pretty well," says Craig McDonald, director of
Texans for Public Justice, who personally supports the proposal.
"You rank your votes -- one, two, and three -- and if your No. 1
person doesn't get a majority, you don't have to come back to the
polls" because you've already indicated your second choice.
Fred Lewis, a member of the city's
Charter Review Commission, which recommended instant runoffs to the
City Council last year, says the system could save the city money
and enhance turnout, because "it only requires voters to go to the
polls once, it decreases costs � [and] it allows people to vote for
who they really support because they can vote for their second
choice if their first choice doesn't make it."
David Cobb, an IRV supporter with
the Center for Voting and Democracy, adds that instant runoff voting
promotes more "issue-based" campaigning, because, as a candidate, "I
want your supporters to at least rank me as their second choice
rather than my other
opponents." IRV proponents have won the ear of
Council Member Will Wynn, who says he supports the proposal in
concept because "it ensures a higher voter turnout than you ever
have in a runoff election. To me, it's just staggering -- our last
city runoff election cost $442,000 to hold, and we had about a
4% voter turnout. That's $21.80 per vote cast."
The change would require a council
vote and a charter amendment election, which could come as early as
August -- if the mayor jumps ship and forces a special election --
or as late as November,
when the next general election is scheduled. Letter in response by a local IRV
supporter "Instant runoff voting would have
saved Austin taxpayers millions of dollars."
Council Member Will Wynn was quoted as saying, "our last city
runoff election cost $442,000." Two points Mr. Wynn did not
cover are:
1. The $442,000
only includes the cost to taxpayers for the city to hold the
election. It does not
include any of the substantial cost in time and money that citizens
incur voting in runoff
elections.
2. Austinites have, in the last 20 years, paid for 12 runoff
elections. The City Charter amendment to implement instant runoff voting recommended by the Charter Review Commission will obviously save a lot of time and money currently spent holding what are unnecessary elections --- but only if the members of the City Council will put it on the ballot.Political Reform: Alive and Ready to Kick |