By Don Jenkins
Published April 13th 2005 in The Columbian
OLYMPIA -- State lawmakers Tuesday gave Vancouver long-sought
permission to elect council members and its mayor via instant runoff
voting, a method now used only in San Francisco among U.S. cities.
Vancouver voters in 1999 amended the city charter to allow for instant runoff voting (IRV), in which voters rank their choices in multicandidate nonpartisan races.
The city council didn't have to decide whether to follow voters' advice, because state law doesn't provide for IRV.
House Bill 1447, approved by the Senate 38-9 Tuesday and earlier in the session by the House, removes the legal barrier. Gov. Christine Gregoire must sign the bill.
The legislation would give the city council the option of adopting IRV, but does not require it.
"I'd be surprised if anybody said, 'Oh, my God, that's great! Let's implement it in the fall,'" said Councilman Dan Tonkovich.
Here's how instant runoff voting works:
If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the second-choice votes of the last-place candidate are distributed to the other candidates. The process goes on until someone has a majority of votes.
Instant runoff voting eliminates the primary election, saving the cost of an election, supporters note.
Advocates also say the system lets voters stick with underdog candidates and still influence an election. Also, candidates must broaden their appeal beyond their base of supporters.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, was IRV's strongest advocate while a councilman in 1999.
He brought his enthusiasm for IRV to the Legislature in 2003 and pushed legislation through the House in 2003 and '04.
Both years, Moeller's bill stumbled in the Senate viewed with befuddlement and skepticism.
One of those skeptical legislators, Sen. Pam Roach, R-Auburn, said Tuesday she would vote for the bill "rather reluctantly.
"I've come to the conclusion, we might as well give it a try in this one isolated area," she said.
That was the strongest endorsement the bill received. No one spoke against it.
Tonkovich, who voted to put IRV to the advisory vote six years ago, said council members haven't talked about the issue lately.
"I think (interest) is lukewarm at best. I don't sense any strong push, but I could be wrong," he said.
Moeller said he hopes the city council will adopt IRV, or at least ask for public comment.
"To not even have the conversation, I guess they could decide that. I think they would miss out on a really valuable exchange," he said.
HB 1447 requires Vancouver to embark on a "pilot project" no later than the 2007 general election. After five years, the Secretary of State's Office would report to lawmakers on how the experiment went.
Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said election workers in his office are "intrigued by the challenge.
"At the same time, they've just come through the most difficult election year of their careers and are not terribly enthused about the additional work an IRV pilot project would entail," he said.
"If it's the will of the Legislature and will of the Vancouver City Council, by jiminy, we'll do it."
The city of San Francisco used IRV to elect supervisors last year.
Municipal experiments with IRV date back to the 1940s, but no other city currently employs IRV, said Steven Hoeschele of FairVote-Center for Voting and Democracy, a Maryland-based organization that supports IRV.
Cambridge, Mass., elects city council members via "single transferable votes," a slightly different method that lets voters rank candidates, Hoeschele said.
Vancouver Sens. Craig Pridemore, a Democrat, and Don Benton, a Republican, voted for HB 1447.
The no votes came from four Democrats and five Republicans, including Sunnyside Sen. Jim Honeyford, who represents rural southeast Clark County.
Don Jenkins reports on the Legislature and politics. He can be reached in The Columbian's Olympia bureau at 360-586-2437 or [email protected].
Update
Previously: In an advisory vote in 1999, 53 percent of Vancouver voters approved electing council members and the mayor via instant runoff voting. Those positions are nonpartisan.
What's new: The Senate on Tuesday finally gave Vancouver permission to use the method, which lets voters rank candidates. The House has passed the legislation for three straight years.
What's next: If Gov. Christine Gregoire signs House Bill 1447, the Vancouver City Council can resume discussions about whether to use instant runoff voting.
Vancouver voters in 1999 amended the city charter to allow for instant runoff voting (IRV), in which voters rank their choices in multicandidate nonpartisan races.
The city council didn't have to decide whether to follow voters' advice, because state law doesn't provide for IRV.
House Bill 1447, approved by the Senate 38-9 Tuesday and earlier in the session by the House, removes the legal barrier. Gov. Christine Gregoire must sign the bill.
The legislation would give the city council the option of adopting IRV, but does not require it.
"I'd be surprised if anybody said, 'Oh, my God, that's great! Let's implement it in the fall,'" said Councilman Dan Tonkovich.
Here's how instant runoff voting works:
If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the second-choice votes of the last-place candidate are distributed to the other candidates. The process goes on until someone has a majority of votes.
Instant runoff voting eliminates the primary election, saving the cost of an election, supporters note.
Advocates also say the system lets voters stick with underdog candidates and still influence an election. Also, candidates must broaden their appeal beyond their base of supporters.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, was IRV's strongest advocate while a councilman in 1999.
He brought his enthusiasm for IRV to the Legislature in 2003 and pushed legislation through the House in 2003 and '04.
Both years, Moeller's bill stumbled in the Senate viewed with befuddlement and skepticism.
One of those skeptical legislators, Sen. Pam Roach, R-Auburn, said Tuesday she would vote for the bill "rather reluctantly.
"I've come to the conclusion, we might as well give it a try in this one isolated area," she said.
That was the strongest endorsement the bill received. No one spoke against it.
Tonkovich, who voted to put IRV to the advisory vote six years ago, said council members haven't talked about the issue lately.
"I think (interest) is lukewarm at best. I don't sense any strong push, but I could be wrong," he said.
Moeller said he hopes the city council will adopt IRV, or at least ask for public comment.
"To not even have the conversation, I guess they could decide that. I think they would miss out on a really valuable exchange," he said.
HB 1447 requires Vancouver to embark on a "pilot project" no later than the 2007 general election. After five years, the Secretary of State's Office would report to lawmakers on how the experiment went.
Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said election workers in his office are "intrigued by the challenge.
"At the same time, they've just come through the most difficult election year of their careers and are not terribly enthused about the additional work an IRV pilot project would entail," he said.
"If it's the will of the Legislature and will of the Vancouver City Council, by jiminy, we'll do it."
The city of San Francisco used IRV to elect supervisors last year.
Municipal experiments with IRV date back to the 1940s, but no other city currently employs IRV, said Steven Hoeschele of FairVote-Center for Voting and Democracy, a Maryland-based organization that supports IRV.
Cambridge, Mass., elects city council members via "single transferable votes," a slightly different method that lets voters rank candidates, Hoeschele said.
Vancouver Sens. Craig Pridemore, a Democrat, and Don Benton, a Republican, voted for HB 1447.
The no votes came from four Democrats and five Republicans, including Sunnyside Sen. Jim Honeyford, who represents rural southeast Clark County.
Don Jenkins reports on the Legislature and politics. He can be reached in The Columbian's Olympia bureau at 360-586-2437 or [email protected].
Update
Previously: In an advisory vote in 1999, 53 percent of Vancouver voters approved electing council members and the mayor via instant runoff voting. Those positions are nonpartisan.
What's new: The Senate on Tuesday finally gave Vancouver permission to use the method, which lets voters rank candidates. The House has passed the legislation for three straight years.
What's next: If Gov. Christine Gregoire signs House Bill 1447, the Vancouver City Council can resume discussions about whether to use instant runoff voting.
