By Jack Santucci

February 23, 2008--Santa Fe, NM voters will decide March 4 whether to use instant runoff voting in municipal elections. The campaign website is here.

The area’s major daily, the Santa Fe New Mexican, has come out against Amendment 5.

Amendment 5 is for "instant runoff", or "ranked-choice" voting: Make your first choice, second choice, third choice, etc. This would, at last, ensure majority-elected politicians, más o menos — but it depends on well-run elections using special computer programs. We say wait and see how it works in huge numbers of other cities — and, for now, vote against.

Fear of technology is a bad reason to sideline principles like majority rule that the editors otherwise support - especially since the number of US cities successfully using IRV grows each year.

The campaign needs help. If you're in the region, you can get involved. No matter where you are, you can donate here.

Adapted from Jack Santucci's blog post at The Democratic Piece. Jack is a former staff member at FairVote and a graduate student at Georgetown University.

Last revised February 23, 2008

Last revised September 3, 2008

November 8, 2006. - Ranked voting was a big, big winner at the polls yesterday. Analysis will follow; for the moment, these numbers speak for themselves:

• Oakland, CA
  • Yes: 64,093 (68.6%)
  • No: 29,299 (31.4%)
• Davis, CA
  • Yes: 11,620 (55.4%)
  • No: 9,352 (44.6%)
• Pierce County, WA
  • Yes: 103,407 (52.9%)
  • No: 91,949 (47.1%)
• Minneapolis, MN
  • Yes: 78,741 (64.9%)
  • No: 42,493 (35.1%)

All figures are now final.

Since 1998, 13 of 15 ballot measures have been approved by voters. For the details see this table.

Last updated July 25, 2007

October 17, 2006 - As the pace of the fall campaign quickens, major newspapers are adding themselves to the ranks of those who support ranked voting for local elections.

Endorsing Measure L in Davis on October 14, the Sacramento Bee wrote:

Editor's note: On September 30 Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed AB 2948, which would have committed California to join an interstate compact to ensure that the winner of the national popular vote is elected President.

Marin Ranked Voting has not taken a position on the National Popular Vote plan discussed in this letter from Californians for Electoral Reform president Steve Chessin. For more information, download the attachment at the end of this article, and visit National Popular Vote and FairVote's Presidential Elections Reform Program.

By Steven Hill

March 28, 2006

Dear friends and colleagues,

I thought you might be interested to know that my next book, 10 Steps to Repair American Democracy, will be in the bookstores in May (PoliPointPress, $11.00). The book is a brief, practical "one-stop shoppers' guide" to what's broken about democracy in the USA, and what Americans can do to repair it.

The following story is reproduced from Common Dreams Newswire.

TAKOMA PARK, Maryland - November 9 – In an advisory ballot measure placed on the ballot by a 7-0 vote of the Takoma Park city council, fully 84% of voters voted for the proposal to have future city elections use instant runoff voting. A majority of the city council is committed to implementing the new system in time for the mayoral and city council races in 2007.