Forum on electoral reform is Feb. 3
Published January 31st 2003 in Allston-Brighton Tab
A coalition of voting rights groups will be holding a forum entitled "21st Century Politics, 18th Century Elections: Why Our Electoral Process is Not Suited for Modern-Day America." The event is slated for 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 3, at the Raytheon Amphitheater, in the Egan Center at Northeastern University.

The forum will focus on the problems inherent in our voting system, and review potential solutions to those problems, including instant runoff voting. Moderated by attorney and voting rights activist John Bonifaz, the forum panelists include author Steven Hill, Kennedy School professor Alexander Keyssar, and 2002 gubernatorial candidate Dr. Jill Stein.

The event is being sponsored by the MassIRV, Northeastern University, Common Cause, and the Center for Voting and Democracy.

For further information, see www.MassIRV.org .

Also, see: www.cambridgeforum.org for information on February 5th event.
IRV Soars in Twin Cities, FairVote Corrects the Pundits on Meaning of Election Night '09
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.

And as pundits try to make hay out of the national implications of Tuesday’s gubernatorial elections, Rob Richie in the Huffington Post concludes that the gubernatorial elections have little bearing on federal elections.

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