Washington Governor Christine Gregoire this week signed HB 1447, a bill allowing instant runoff voting to be used for a five year pilot project in the cities of Vancouver, Spokane, and Tacoma--the second IRV law to pass this year. Though Vancouver has already passed an IRV-authorizing charter amendment, the city council now must move by 2007 to implement IRV during the trial period to run from 2008-2013. Representative Jim Moeller's years of persistence have paid off: the bill's chief sponsor initially lobbied the Vancouver council to support IRV before becoming a legislator.

[More on Washington's IRV pilot program]