IRV News

  • FairVote Reforms are Hitting the Newsstands

    August 21, 2014

    Fair representation voting and ranked choice systems received significant media attention this month, with several notable publications featuring FairVote’s work and running expert commentary by FairVote staff and allies. Here are some of the highlights.

  • Rank the Vote Like The Academy

    January 28, 2014

    Voting is improved overseas and in cities across the United States -- and it works well for choosing which film the Academy will award Best Picture! Check out where RCV is used and where it is being considered.

  • Try Ranked Choice Voting!

    February 13, 2013

     

    Whenever a race for governor has more than two candidates, more than half the voters can strongly oppose the "winner" in a traditional plurality system. To eliminate "spoilers" and embrace voter choice, a growing number of cities and colleges are moving to the instant runoff form of ranked choice voting (RCV). It's used to pick the Best Picture Oscar and is now under serious consideration for statewide elections.

     

  • FairVote analysis in national news

    February 13, 2012

    On February 12th, FairVote executive director Rob Richie was a guest on CSPAN television's Washington Journal, aired live around the nation. That day he also had the first and final letters in the New York Times' "Invitation to Dialogue" series on voting reform. FairVote staff and interns have been publishing many articles in 2012.

    Rob Richie on CSPAN

    New York Times "Invitation to Dialogue"

    Fair voting op-eds in St. Louis Post-Dispatch & Austin American-Statesman

    FairVote blogs on Huffington Post & Oped News

  • Utah Republicans Use Instant Runoff Voting

    January 12, 2012

    The Republican Party in Utah used Instant Runoff Voting this week to elect a replacement for a state senate vacancy in a seven-candidate race.  Indeed about a half dozen current Republican state lawmakers first won office in a similar way. In 2004, the state convention used IRV when former governor  Jon Huntsman was first nominated.

    Account of this week's election

    Round by Round results from Davis County Republican Party

    Article about past use of IRV to fill 2009 vacancy 

    Articles & analysis of 2002 & 2004 state conventions using IRV

    Article on Utah testimony on adopting IRV for state offices

  • Ranked choice voting in major elections

    November 4, 2011

    Ranked choice choice voting (RCV, or instant runoff) accommodates voters having more than two choices at the polls. This month, San Francisco (CA) will elect a mayor and two other citywide leaders with RCV. Portland (ME) and Telluride (CO) will elect mayors in hotly contested RCV races, and St. Paul (MN) and Takoma Park (MD) will elect city councilors with RCV. In Ireland, Michael Higgins was elected president with RCV, breaking out of a 7-candidate field for a landslide win thanks to a combination of strong first choice rankings and backup preferences from supporters of losing candidates. Cambridge (MA) will use the choice voting form of RCV that provides fair representation to its voters.

    FairVote has been deeply involved in many of these implementations and will be tracking elections closely next week. Although controversial with some, RCV is working well -- and has strong backing from almost all mayoral candidates in both Portland and San Francisco. For more on the races, see:

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