Big wins for instant runoffs in San Francisco and Vermont. (Thinking Politically).History was made on March 5, 2002, when more than 56% of San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden voters gave a big thumb's up to instant runoff voting Runoff voting can refer to:
IRV abbr. inspiratory reserve volume IRV inspiratory reserve volume. ) for electing statewide offices. Despite well-financed defenders of the status quo [Latin, The existing state of things at any given date.] Status quo ante bellum means the state of things before the war. The status quo to be preserved by a preliminary injunction is the last actual, peaceable, uncontested status which preceded the pending controversy. who spent perhaps $100,000 or more trying to confuse voters with slick mailings, San Francisco became the first major American city to use IRV to elect its officials. It replaces two-round runoff elections that cost more than a million dollars a year, lead to low voter turnout and negative campaigning Negative campaigning is trying to win an advantage by referring to negative aspects of an opponent or of a policy rather than emphasizing one's own positive attributes or preferred policies. and exacerbate campaign financing demands. Depending on the capacity of the City's Department of Elections, IRV will be used either this fall or in November 2003. Center for Voting and Democracy staff members Steven Hill and Caleb Kleppner developed a remarkable grassroots campaign, full of volunteer energy and that delivered more than 125,000 door-hangers in targeted precincts around the city. Leading civic organizations and elected officials rose to the challenge as well; endorsers included Rep. Kevin Shelley, who won the Democratic Party nomination for Secretary of State this week, and the Sierra Club Sierra Club, national organization in the United States dedicated to the preservation and expansion of the world's parks, wildlife, and wilderness areas. Founded (1892) in California by a group led by the Scottish-American conservationist John Muir, the Sierra Club , San Francisco Labor Council, Common Cause, NOW, Congress of California Seniors, Chinese for Affirmative Action Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) is a San Francisco-based advocacy organization. Founded in 1969, its initial goals were equality of access to employment and the creation of job opportunities for Chinese Americans. The group broadened its mission in the subsequent decades. , Latino Democratic Club, Libertarian Party The Libertarian party was founded in Colorado in 1971 and held its first convention in Denver in 1972. In 1972 it fielded John Hospers for president and Theodora Nathan for vice president in the U.S. general election. , Democratic Party, Green Party and CalPIRG. In Vermont, 51 of 54 town meetings supported a League of Women Voters-sponsored proposal to use IRV for electing statewide offices. Vermont IRV backers range from Democratic Governor Howard Dean and Secretary of State Deborah Markowitz to 2000 Republican gubernatorial nominee Ruth Dwyer, Common Cause and the Grange. Our New England regional director Terry Bouricius did masterful work on this effort on a shoestring budget. Instant runoff voting has the potential to crack open electoral politics to new voices and better choices. Used for major elections in Australia Elections in Australia gives information on elections and election results in Australia. At a federal level Australia elects a legislature - the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, using various electoral systems: see Australian electoral system. , Ireland and Great Britain, IRV ensures that candidates win with majority support. in one efficient election. Voters indicate both their favorite and their runoff choices on the same ballot. If no candidate receives a winning majority of first choices, the weak candidates are eliminated. Just as in a delayed runoff, their supporters choose among the runoff finalists as indicated by the next-choice preferences marked on their ballots. Voters who ranked one of the finalists first continue to have their votes count for their favorite choice. You can read much more about instant runoff voting, the win in San Francisco and the near-sweep of Vermont town meeting votes on-line. Please see: * The Center's news release and two pre-election articles at http://fairvote.org/sf/robmessage.htm * A range of news and information about instant runoff voting at: http://www.fairvote.org/irv * The San Francisco campaign's website at http://www.improvetherunof.com * Coverage at http://www.alternet.org, http://www.tompaine.com and http://www.thenation.com/thebeat |
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