May 14, 2008--This week the campaign for IRV for City of Los Angeles received major new endorsements from the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce and former mayor Richard Riordan. These come soon after a new position statement from the Los Angeles League of Women Voters.

All three endorsement statements are reproduced below.

By Steven Hill

October 31, 2006--The campaign for Instant Runoff Voting in Oakland (known as Measure O) needs your URGENT help to buy radio ads to respond to negative attacks against Measure O coming from sleazy political consultants. Allow me to explain.

First, the good news: We have been making great strides towards winning on November 7, having secured most of the top endorsements in the city, and waging a vigorous voter contact/outreach campaign (see details below).

But here's the bad news: Suddenly Measure O is under attack by shady political consultants who are opposed to reforming our broken democracy.

By David Cary

February 24, 2008--Please help Davis takes its next step towards implementing choice voting. After AB 1294 was vetoed last fall, a two-member subcommittee of the Davis City Council began hearings on adopting a charter. The subcommittee is now presenting its findings and recommendations for consideration by the full City Council. This call to action is for all ranked voting supporters who are within striking distance of Davis.

Please attend the Davis City Council's hearing on the Charter City Subcommittee's report and show your support for choice voting this coming Tuesday, February 26, at 6:30 pm.

By Steven Hill

June 5, 2007 -- On Wednesday, June 13, the Rules & Elections Committee of the Los Angeles City Council will hold an important hearing on using instant runoff voting in Los Angeles for local elections. It’s crucial that we turn out as many people as possible to this hearing, and also that we generate numerous letters, emails and phone calls to targeted city council members (see sample letter and talking points below).

By the New America Foundation

April 11, 2007 -- As Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proposes decreasing the city of Los Angeles’ budget deficit, a new study suggests another way to save taxpayers tens of millions of dollars: eliminate the May runoff election and instead use instant runoff voting to elect majority winners in a single election.

Los Angeles taxpayers are about to spend an estimated five million dollars for a May 15 runoff election in which fewer than 10 percent of voters are likely to participate. Lynne Serpe, deputy director of the New America Foundation's political reform program based in Los Angeles, says: "If Mayor Villaraigosa wishes to decrease the budget deficit, he can start by eliminating an unnecessary May runoff election. The runoff election will cost taxpayers and candidates millions of dollars, even though voter turnout is predicted to be in the single digits."

July 21, 2006

The Oakland City Council voted on July 18 to let the city's voters decide whether to use instant runoff voting (IRV) for all city elections. The council vote was 6-2.

If the measure on the November 7 ballot passes, IRV will replace Oakland's existing two-round runoff system for all city offices.

July 12, 2006

Last night the Davis City Council placed a choice voting advisory measure on the November 7 ballot.

The text of the measure is, "Should the City of Davis consider adopting choice voting, also known as instant runoff or preference voting, as the system to elect City Council members?"