[EM] "IRV" in the news

[raphfrk at netscape.net]

From: Jan Kok <jan.kok.5y at gmail.com>
>  On 7/24/06, Monkey Puzzle <araucaria.araucana at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Can anybody say "Straw Man"?
>
>I don't understand what you're trying to say, M.P.
>
>No one (on this list) is claiming this North Carolina thing is real
>IRV. The NC thing is an abomination.

However, it is a good tactical move by people who are opposed to voting 
reform.  They are in effect creating a straw man version of IRV ("see 
it isn't any better than the run-off").  I don't know if that is what 
the poster was referring to.

It also has the "advantage" that it kicks away one of the benefits of 
IRV from any future reform debates.  Voting reformers cannot claim that 
their method saves money by eliminating the 2nd run-off election.

Btw, is the new law equivalent to the old run-off rules ?  Would there 
be no 2nd election if the winner of  the first round got more than 40% 
?  Maybe, they were just trying to keep the law consistant ?