Friday, November 11, 2005

Dear Friend of Fair Elections,

We had an inspiring win for election reform on Tuesday.

In an advisory ballot measure placed on the ballot by a 7-0 vote of the city council in Takoma Park, Maryland, fully 84% of voters voted to use instant runoff voting (IRV) in future city elections. A majority of the city council has already committed to implementing the new system in time for the mayoral and city council races in 2007. IRV has now won by landslide margins in four consecutive city elections.

[ See the campaign website at www.takomaparkforirv.com ]

The same day, San Francisco's first citywide IRV election also went well — and will save the city millions of dollars. Right now, a second round of counting has begun for the city Assessor's race because no candidate won a majority of first choices. Rather than mail out 125,000 absentee ballots and hold a low turnout December election, San Francisco now just needs to count the second choices on the ballots cast for the third-place candidate. IRV likely will elect Phil Ting as Assessor-Recorder with a majority of support while not splitting the vote of the two Asian American candidates. It's a real testament to the power of this system to create positive and inclusive campaigns — and efficiency for taxpayers.

[ Read more on the Assessor race ]

Cambridge (MA) also held its 28th ranked ballot election for city council and school board. With candidates elected at-large, this choice voting system not only avoids vote splitting, but provides fair representation to the city's diversity.

[ Read more on Cambridge's elections ]

Thanks for reading. I hope you'll visit the following links to learn more about our work here and ask you to consider a donation to FairVote. We played an integral role in the success here in Takoma Park and are moving forward with innovative approaches to provide more voter freedom and equality for all Americans.

Sincerely,

Rob Richie
Executive Director

Coverage on the win The promise of a majority count - Takoma Park Gazette Takoma Park Voters Back Candidate Ranking System - Capital News Services Daily Kos Common Dreams David Moon Interview David Moon talks about Maryland's big win for election reform, and FairVote's DC Metro Project (3:00) Subscribe to the feed! Get Involved: Join a FairVote conference call on IRV on November 14: Call in at 8:30pm EST at 1-712-432-2323 to hear an update on IRV, and what's next for FairVote's IRV America program. Lobby for IRV legislation Join the national IRV listserv Final Notes: Rod Donald, international reformer and one of the central figures in the remarkable drive for proportional voting in New Zealand has died at age 48. Read one tribute 108-year-old woman Effie Hobby voted again on November 8th as she has in every local, state and national election since women won suffrage in 1920. As we observe Veteran's Day, FairVote salutes people like her who have helped keep our democracy strong. Read more St. Louis Cardinals' pitcher Chris Carpenter edged out Dontrell Willis and Roger Clemens for the Cy Young award. He was elected by sportwriters who ranked pitchers in order of preference -- as indeed most athletic awards are determined. They know that ranking choices is a fairer way of picking a winner than just voting for one.

Commentary on IRV Instant runoffs: It's time will come - Oakland Tribune Are instant runoff the future of elections? - The Gainesville Sun NYC, Meet IRV - Mother Jones ELECTION 2005 ON THE FAIRVOTE BLOG FairVote's comments on the elections were featured in national wire stories, editorials and radio shows like NPR's Talk of the Nation. We highlighted how IRV would have greatly improved the tenor and voter options in the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia. We bemoaned the low turnout experienced in so many communities, often tied to voting rules and practices that could and should be changed. We talked about how proportional voting methods are the key means to balance the goals of fair representation, accountability of leadership and universal voter choice — with state legislative races this year again showing the appalling problems we face in all three of those goals. See fairvote.org for more, including our new blog featuring new comments on lessons for redistricting reformers from Rob Richie. Don't miss... DC Cares hosts VOTING RIGHTS STRUGGLES: PAST AND PRESENT Sat, Nov 12, Washington DC FairVote's Rob Richie will speak, along with Harris Wofford, Jack Nelson and more. Contact Kilin Boardman-Schroyer 202-777-4457 or kschroyer@dc-cares.org