By John Harbin
Published April 10th 2009 in Times-News
The Hendersonville City Council voted 4 to 1 to use the instant runoff voting method in this year’s election.
The city took part in the pilot voting program in 2007. Instant runoff allows voters to rank the candidates for an office in order of preference, eliminating the need for a runoff election.
Hendersonville City Attorney Sam Fritschner explained that through a City Council request, he researched how to get Hendersonville to use the instant runoff method again.
Fritschner explained to the council that to be included in the instant runoff vote this year, the council would have to agree to set up voter education programs, perform exit polling on how the voting went and complete a form about the cost incurred and saved by using the program.
“I was elected under the process,” Councilman Steve Carkaer said. “In information I have received since then, I feel this system needs more trial. I will vote against it.”
Councilman Bill O’Cain said he spoke to the county’s Board of Elections and his concern of not having a paper trail was put to rest.
“I like the idea of a separate primary and general election,” Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Volk said. “I did some Internet research beyond some groups who feel one way or another. I found that other countries such as Australia have been using this method for years with no problems. I am willing to try it again.”
Councilman Jeff Collis said he felt like it seemed to work well during the 2007 election.
O’Cain made the motion to have Hendersonville use the instant runoff voting method. The motion passed with Caraker voting against the motion.
After the 2007 election, Hendersonville voters said instant runoff voting was easy to understand and they preferred the process of ranking candidates on a single ballot instead of voting for two candidates and potentially having to vote in a runoff. Using the runoff method eliminates the need for a primary election.
Voter feedback was gathered during an exit poll taken after the Nov. 6 City Council election in Hendersonville in which instant runoff voting was used.
The city took part in the pilot voting program in 2007. Instant runoff allows voters to rank the candidates for an office in order of preference, eliminating the need for a runoff election.
Hendersonville City Attorney Sam Fritschner explained that through a City Council request, he researched how to get Hendersonville to use the instant runoff method again.
Fritschner explained to the council that to be included in the instant runoff vote this year, the council would have to agree to set up voter education programs, perform exit polling on how the voting went and complete a form about the cost incurred and saved by using the program.
“I was elected under the process,” Councilman Steve Carkaer said. “In information I have received since then, I feel this system needs more trial. I will vote against it.”
Councilman Bill O’Cain said he spoke to the county’s Board of Elections and his concern of not having a paper trail was put to rest.
“I like the idea of a separate primary and general election,” Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Volk said. “I did some Internet research beyond some groups who feel one way or another. I found that other countries such as Australia have been using this method for years with no problems. I am willing to try it again.”
Councilman Jeff Collis said he felt like it seemed to work well during the 2007 election.
O’Cain made the motion to have Hendersonville use the instant runoff voting method. The motion passed with Caraker voting against the motion.
After the 2007 election, Hendersonville voters said instant runoff voting was easy to understand and they preferred the process of ranking candidates on a single ballot instead of voting for two candidates and potentially having to vote in a runoff. Using the runoff method eliminates the need for a primary election.
Voter feedback was gathered during an exit poll taken after the Nov. 6 City Council election in Hendersonville in which instant runoff voting was used.
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.