Cary, NC, Adopts IRV

Other North Carolina Cities Expected to Follow

The city of Cary has become the first North Carolina city to take advantage of a new state law allowing cities to use instant runoff voting for local elections. Cary will use IRV this October to for mayoral and city council elections, eliminating the need for a separate high-cost, low-turnout runoff. Other cities in the state are expected to follow Cary's lead in the coming weeks.

[ Wake County Board of Elections press release ]
[ More about the North Carolina IRV pilot project ]
[ FAQ's about IRV in North Carolina ]

State Legislatures Encourage Civic Participation

States introduce bills to increase youth voting

A number of state legislatures have introduced bills that aim to increase youth voter participation. Proposals have included lowering the voting age, allowing 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections and advance registration for 16-year-olds. Minnesota introduced a constitutional amendment lowering the voting age from 18 to 16. In Connecticut, the legislature is considering two bills (HJ 7, HJ 11) that would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections if they will be 18 before the general election. Three states--California, Maryland and Pennsylvania--want to promote youth voter participation through advance registration and by establishing "high school voter weeks" twice a year. Strengthening civic education in high schools was considered (but did not make it through committee) in Florida and Indiana, but a FairVote-backed civic education bill in Maryland was signed into law.

Read more about FairVote's 100% Youth Voter Registration Project
Read about FairVote's high school voting curriculum, Learning Democracy