[EM] "IRV" in the news

[Jonathan Lundell]

I like IRV OK, and better than many on this list. But where do they 
come up with this stuff? (I do like the last graf, though.)



Bill for 20 instant-runoff elections passes Senate
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Thursday, July 20, 2006

RALEIGH
A wide-ranging election bill approved by the N.C.
Senate yesterday will allow up to 20 counties and
cities to try "instant runoffs" as a way to avoid
costly and poorly attended runoff elections.

The bill would also increase the time between primary
elections and runoffs from four weeks to seven weeks.
State elections officials have said they need more
time to canvass primary-election votes and mail out or
send absentee ballots for overseas and military voters
for those elections.

The instant-runoff program would allow voters in local
elections to rank their order of preference among the
candidates listed. Election officials would first
tally only the first choices. If the leading candidate
fails to win more than 40 percent of the first-choice
votes, the top two candidates would advance to the
runoff.

Election officials would then examine the ballots of
voters whose preferred candidate was eliminated. The
remaining candidates would get votes for being the
highest-ranked alternative choice. Those votes would
be added to their original tally and the candidate
with the most total votes would win.

Instant runoffs are already used in other states as
well as in San Francisco, said Sen. Dan Clodfelter,
D-Mecklenburg, who called them a way to eliminate the
costs of holding runoff elections, which generally
have low turnout rates.

Others worried that instant runoffs may change
campaign strategies.

"This method of voting would lead to a very odd and
radical way to think when you go to the polls," Sen.
Doug Berger, D-Franklin. "This appears that this is an
idea from San Francisco, and I say we should leave it
in San Francisco."

This story can be found at: 
http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149189266508&path=%21localnews&s=1037645509099

-- 
/Jonathan Lundell.