Another issue on Telluride’s November ballot is the use of instant runoff voting in mayoral races that would be in place for at least 3 years.
Published September 10th 2008 in Colorado Radio 94 KIX
The Daily Planetreports that IRV can help ensure a true majority in a 3-way race for mayor, which Telluride often has.  IRV allows voters to rank candidates; that way, if no one receives a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is tossed out, and those votes are redistributed according to ranking.  This was a citizen-initiated ordinance in which town council voted 6-1.  It’s reported that instant runoff voting is used in cities like San Francisco, Sarasota, Florida, and even in Aspen.
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.

Links