Instant Runoff Voting in Action in Takoma Park
Posted on What's New Jared Gay on July 18, 2012
Our analysis of the July 18 thinstant runoff election in Takoma Park, Maryland. We include information from an exit survey regarding opinions of instant runoff voting.
Read moreElection Wonk: Growing trend of plurality wins in governors' races
Posted on What's New Lindsey Needham, The Non-majority Rule Desk on May 04, 2012
Over the last two years, a staggering 28% of gubernatorial races were awarded to candidates who failed to win 50% of the vote. With so many state executives in power without the expressed consent of the majority, we have to question whether our system successfully functions to deliver the will of the people.
Read moreSurvey of California Republicans Has Revealing Results
Posted on What's New Dorothy Scheeline on February 29, 2012
Californians for Electoral Reform conducted a revealing survey of delegates to the California Republican Party state convention last weekend. By enumerating their preferences, California Republican activists give insight into their voting patterns.
Read moreThird Parties and the Spoiler Effect In the 2012 Election
Posted on What's New The Non-majority Rule Desk, Joe Witte on February 28, 2012
As the 2012 presidential election approaches, it's clear that while many American voters are ready for a third party, America's election system is not.
Read moreRCV Election Results: Portland and San Francisco
Posted on What's New Sheahan Virgin, Katie P. Kelly on November 11, 2011
Updated! This November, ranked choice voting (RCV) elections took place in six cities in the United States. Here is a visual breakdown of each ranked choice voting round in the San Francisco (CA) elections for Mayor, District Attorney and Sheriff and in the Portland (ME) mayoral election. In Portland, Michael Brennan led in the first round and was the strongest candidate in securing votes from backers of defeated candidates, winning with 56% when matched against his strongest opponent. In San Francisco, Interim Mayor Ed Lee led in the first round and also expanded his lead during the count, securing 60% of the final round tally.
Read morePortland Mayoral Election: One-Day Survey Results
Posted on What's New Dorothy Scheeline on November 07, 2011
FairVote conducted a one-day survey of 122 early voters on Thursday, November 3 participating in Portland's first mayoral election in nearly a century. The survey reveals that Portland voters find their new ranked choice ballot easy to use and have experienced a mayoral campaign that has promoted civic engagement.
Read moreWas the Iowa Caucuses' Real Winner Not in the Race?
Posted on What's New on November 04, 2011
Last night, as the numbers rolled in from Iowa, cable news shows pundits analyzed the numbers in almost every way humanly possible – with particular obsession with who was going to “win.” But the media just may have missed the biggest winner: a candidate who wasn’t seeking Iowa votes last night.
Read moreIrish presidential election with instant runoff voting: Voter choice without "spoilers"
Posted on What's New on November 04, 2011
Our political leaders are again rolling the dice with the American people. Rather than pursue statutory solutions to potential electoral landmines, they've left intact a set of electoral rules that aren’t designed for elections where voters have more than two choices. Ireland last month showcased a better way in its elections. As with all other well-established democracies with presidential elections, Ireland elects its president based on a national popular vote. It uses instant runoff voting to uphold the goal of majority rule.
Read moreRanked Choice Absentee Ballots: Preventing the Disenfranchisement of Military and Overseas Voters
Posted on What's New Cynthia Okechukwu on July 21, 2011
American citizens living abroad, including men and women in uniform, often face difficulties in voting in elections at home. Military and overseas voters continue to point to short ballot turnaround times as an obstacle to voting in federal, state, and local elections. Ranked choice absentee ballots provide a legal and practical solution to this problem.
Read moreNorth Carolina uses Instant Runoff Voting for state, county-wide elections
Posted on What's New on November 03, 2010
This fall North Carolina held the first statewide general election with instant runoff voting (IRV) in the nation’s history to fill federal judge Jim Wynn’s vacancy in on the Court of Appeals. Three Superior Court vacancies were also filled with instant runoff voting. Initial results suggest that voters in the state handled IRV well.
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