[EM] Re: IRV Unconstitutional?

[Alex Small]

Mike-

I don't like IRV at all, but I would interpret the spirit of Prop 43 to
mean that every BALLOT will be counted.  In other words, if you cast a
ballot and it's clear what you meant on it then the ballot will be counted
according to the rules of the election.

Let's draw this one silver lining from the IRV wins:  Election reform
initiatives can win, even though it isn't an issue on most people's radar
screens.  People are apparently open to alternative election methods, and
we just need to persuade the public that AV is better than IRV.

I did a little prosyletizing to the other poll workers on Tuesday, and most
of them were receptive to Approval.  The best way to sell it seems to
be "you indicate yes or no on each candidate, and the most approved
candidate wins" rather than "one vote to each candidate you approve of."
Psychologically, giving two people equal votes seems like a dilution of
your vote in the minds of many people.  On the other hand, electing whoever
draws the most yeses seems like common sense to many people.

Alex