New York DemocracyBy Rob Richie
Published July 14th 2002
To the Editor:
Joyce Purnick's review of possible reforms to make New York state government more democratic (Metro Matters column, July 8) reveals the sad condition of our electoral democracy. New York is far from alone in how much power is exerted by legislative leaders and how shielded incumbents are from competition; since 1996 more than 40 percent of all state legislative races have not been even nominally contested by both major parties.
However, like most states, New York this year is electing a governor who can't be shielded by gerrymandered districts. Reformers should press candidates to commit to restoring citizens' voices, not just mouthing support for reforms that have no chance in the Legislature, but supporting a high-level commission with the kind of clout and independence that could make substantive reform possible.
Joyce Purnick's review of possible reforms to make New York state government more democratic (Metro Matters column, July 8) reveals the sad condition of our electoral democracy. New York is far from alone in how much power is exerted by legislative leaders and how shielded incumbents are from competition; since 1996 more than 40 percent of all state legislative races have not been even nominally contested by both major parties.
However, like most states, New York this year is electing a governor who can't be shielded by gerrymandered districts. Reformers should press candidates to commit to restoring citizens' voices, not just mouthing support for reforms that have no chance in the Legislature, but supporting a high-level commission with the kind of clout and independence that could make substantive reform possible.
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.