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Pioneer Press
Roseville considers instant
runoff
By Lenora Chu
February 4,
2004
Ireland uses the process to
elect its president, Australia its House of Representatives and
London its mayor.
Roseville could be next to adopt instant-runoff voting, which
supporters say eliminates the spoiler phenomenon of third-party
candidates and costs less to administer than traditional
elections.
And the state Legislature soon may weigh in on the issue.
Advocates hope a special City Council election in Roseville will
fast-track a bill to give Minnesota cities the option of
instant-runoff elections.
Supporters in Roseville say the method is perfectly suited to the
April 20 election for the council seat vacated when Craig Klausing
became mayor.
Because there is no primary, more than two candidates could be on
the ballot, creating the possibility that the victor could be
ushered into office with less than 50 percent of the vote.
However, with instant-runoff voting — in which voters rank all
candidates in order of preference — a second-round recount is done
if no one wins an outright majority. A vote for the last-place
finisher goes to the second choice on that ballot, and the final
tally is adjusted.
The process is repeated until one candidate receives more than 50
percent of the total votes cast.
Instant-runoff voting can save money by eliminating the need for
a primary in nonpartisan elections like mayor and City Council. A
Roseville primary — an option the council decided against in
November — would have cost $15,000 to $18,000.
In early January, the council unanimously passed a resolution
asking the Legislature to allow the instant-runoff option.
Although state statute doesn't explicitly forbid instant-runoff
voting, the language regarding ballot forms could be interpreted to
exclude a design that would allow voters to rank their choices,
according to Bruce Kennedy, lead policy advocate for FairVote
Minnesota, a nonpartisan group for alternative voting methods.
"It's really a technical issue, but one that would scare off any
city that wanted to try it," Kennedy said. "That's why we came up
with House File 1719."
Already introduced in the state Senate for the coming session,
the measure seeks to clarify the law by declaring that statutes
shall not prohibit cities from adopting cumulative or ranked-order
voting, which includes instant-runoff voting. It also would require
electronic voting systems purchased after July 1 to support these
types of voting.
STATE ILLUSTRATES POINT
Advocates say instant-runoff voting may be particularly
beneficial in Minnesota, where third-party movements have been
influential. The last two governors won with less than a majority of
the vote.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty won in 2002 with 44.4 percent, and in 1998
Jesse Ventura prevailed with 37 percent.
Ken Pentel, the Green Party's candidate for governor in 2002,
said being able to rank choices on the ballot takes the fear out of
voting your conscience.
"It eliminates the idea of 'Don't Waste Your Vote' and the idea
of people having to vote for the lesser of two evils," Pentel said.
"The Democrats and Republicans — if they're not the first choice for
people, they'll be the second choice."
Yet efforts to promote instant-runoff voting at the Legislature
during three previous sessions failed to gain traction.
A measure introduced last year would have adopted instant-runoff
voting for all statewide and congressional elections in Minnesota,
plus U.S. president, but the concept proved too new and wide-ranging
for lawmakers. The bill passed a Senate subcommittee but saw the
light of day nowhere else.
Tony Solgard, chairman of FairVote Minnesota, said legislators
simply need time to familiarize themselves with alternate voting
methods.
"If they're elected under one system and being asked to change
that system," he said, "they want to look at it pretty
carefully."
This year, Solgard and other runoff advocates hope Roseville's
ticking clock — city officials estimate the bill must be passed by
the end of February to allow time to prepare for a runoff — and the
council's resolution of support will breathe new life into their
battle.
"It was something like kismet when this situation came about in
Roseville unexpectedly," Kennedy said.
SENSE OF URGENCY
The chairmen of the House and Senate committees that will be the
first stop for the bill are supporters — one is carrying it — and
say they will usher the measure along.
"There's a genuine sense of urgency and absolutely I hope that we
could respond accordingly," said Sen. Chuck Wiger, a North St. Paul
DFLer and chairman of the newly formed Elections Committee, which is
scheduled to hear the bill Thursday afternoon.
The chairman of the House Government Operations Committee, Rep.
Jim Rhodes, remarked that the measure's scope might need to be
narrowed in order to shove it through the Legislature in time.
"The way to get it passed may be to bring it as a pilot site for
Roseville," said Rhodes, R-St. Louis Park, who is sponsoring the
bill in the House.
RECOUNTS BY HAND
Should the measure pass and the Roseville City Council choose to
adopt instant runoff for the April 20 election, optical scan
machines, which are not configured for the new method, would produce
the first count only. Any recounts would have to be tallied by
hand.
The city of Hopkins has also expressed interest in alternative
voting methods. Last year, the council passed a resolution
recommending that any new voting equipment be able to accommodate
such methods.
Across the country, instant-runoff voting has gained recognition
in recent years, especially with San Francisco's move in 2002 to
adopt the method.
According to FairVote Minnesota, legislation to enact instant
runoff has passed one body of the New Mexico Legislature, and the
concept is gaining steam in Vermont, where Democratic presidential
contender Howard Dean, the former governor, is a supporter.
Even so, back in Minnesota, Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer may
hold exactly the kind of reservations the bill is likely to meet.
"It's a complicated idea," she said. It would change a lot, and we
should have cautious consideration."
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