I am going to use my second post of the day to say amen and thank you to Aaron. IRV very simply is one of our best options for ensuring a true democratic will and majority in an electoral system. With IRV, for example, there would have been no opportunity for the United States Supreme Court to select the President of the United States in the 2000 Presidential election. George W. Bush would have lost by an even wider margin than half a million votes and would have readily carried Florida.
IRV used and implemented at a local level (as was done but blocked in San Francisco and has been done in Alaska) would only make local, grass roots control of politics stronger, and it would allow the citizens of Minneapolis (essentially a one party city) real party/ideological choice in municipal elections.
-Brandon Lacy Campos -Powderhorn Park
Chair National Lavender Green Caucus Green Party of the United States
Lavender Greens: www.lavendergreens.org BrownTones: http://galileo.spaceports.com/~brandonl/ YouthAction: www.youthaction.net
From: "Aaron Neumann" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Mpls] IRV...it's as easy as 1-2-3 Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2003 22:59:06 -0600
Minneapolis citizens of all political persuasions should have all options of exercising democracy, including IRV (Instant Runoff Voting). IRV is a reform that allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, so that in cases where there is no initial majority winner, a runoff recount can be conducted without a new election to determine which candidate is actually preferred by a majority of voters.
The IRV works basically as follows: Instead of just casting one vote for one candidate, voters rank the candidates: 1,2,3, etc. (hence, the motto, "it's as easy as 1-2-3."). If no candidate receives a majority of the #1 votes, the candidate with the least total of #1 votes is eliminated. The second choice votes from these ballots are then transferred to the other candidates. The ballots are recounted, and candidates are eliminated in this fashion until 1 winner emerges with a majority of the vote.
A very easy to understand Flash animation can be found here:
http://www.chrisgates.net/irv/
More on IRV here:
http://www.fairvote.org/irv/
I realize there are some concerns that in a very close election a candidate with the most number of first-choice votes may not be elected due to another candidate being more preferred in second, third AND first choice votes over all. A second choice (or many choices) allows for preferences in voting, establishing a true majority (as opposed to a plurality) that is more reflective of the people�s will.
The citizens of Minneapolis should be able to vote for the decision to establish IRV in our elections. It�s a matter that only the people, and not the politicians, can make.
Aaron Neumann
Holland
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