[Election-Methods] Fwd: [election_leaders] Is IRV Hurting Minorities in Fair Vote Home Town?

[Ralph Suter]

The name of the organization is "FairVote" NOT "Fair Vote". How can 
you expect your criticisms of the organization to be taken seriously 
if you can't even get its name right? You made the same mistake in 
your critique of IRV. If you don't believe me, go to the FairVote 
website and look it up. The FairVote contact info page and the full 
name and address listed on it is:

http://www.fairvote.org/?page=96

FairVote
6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 610
Takoma Park, Maryland 20912

-Ralph Suter

> Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:49:24 -0600
> From: "Kathy Dopp" <kathy.dopp at gmail.com>
> Subject: [Election-Methods] Fwd: [election_leaders] Is IRV Hurting
>     Minorities in Fair Vote Home Town?
> To: EM <election-methods at lists.electorama.com>
> 
> Thought this list might be interested in this "real world" example of IRV.
> 
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: jmc27106 at earthlink.net <jmc27106 at earthlink.net>
> Date: Wed, Jul 23, 2008 at 8:32 PM
> Subject: [election_leaders] Is IRV Hurting Minorities in Fair Vote Home Town?
> 
> Is Instant Runoff Voting Hurting Minorities in Fair Vote's Home Town?
> 
> Ground Zero for IRV is also "Ground Zero" for minority representation
> in government. Zero meaning zilch, nada nothing.
> 
> The latest canard is that IRV helps minorities. A July 24 news article
> shows that this is not true, at least not in the home town of the Fair
> Vote Director, Rob Richie.
> 
> The "IRV helps minorities" claim was used on the North Carolina State
> Legislature last month, and I believe it worked, even though it was
> challenged by Representative Angela Bryant.
> 
> Yes, "the truth is out there", right there in Fair Votes' own back yard.
> 
> It turns out that Fair Vote Director Rob Richie's home town of Takoma
> Park Maryland, the home base for IRV, has Zero (0) zilch NADA minority
> representation. And voter turnout flat out sucks.
> 
> A July 24 news article compares minority representation in the
> governments of 3 Maryland towns. Takoma Park is the loser.
> 
> Greenbelt mulls changes to its voting system Thursday July 24, 2008
> 
> Takoma Park and College Park both have district systems, but each
> still has majority white councils. College Park has two women, one of
> whom is African-American but Takoma Park, in Montgomery County, has no
> minority representative...
> 
> "Takoma Park is 34 percent African-American.." yet "....Takoma Park,
> in Montgomery County, has no minority representative. "
> 
> Turnout in Takoma Park? "Of the 17,299 total city population, only
> 1,010 people voted in the last City Council election."
> 
> ....Takoma Park is divided into six voting districts. There are six
> council members and one mayor. All of its elected officials are white.
> 
> Takoma Park City Manager Barbara Burns Matthews admitted the council
> was not representative of the community according to census data,
> especially since the city has a large immigrant population.
> 
> One of the problems, Matthews said, is lack of contention. In the last
> election, only one district had multiple delegates running. The others
> only had one name on the ballot.
> 
> Doesn't this sound like San Francisco in 2007? Low turnout, stale
> stagnant politics with no real competition for the mayors contest, one
> candidate for DA, and 2 candidates for Sheriff? Incumbent protection.
> 
> More on Takoma Park's underperformance:
> 
> Takoma Park instituted instant-runoff voting two years ago, in which
> voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate
> receives a majority of first-preference rankings, the candidate with
> the least number of votes is eliminated and votes are redistributed to
> the voters' next preferences among the remaining candidates.
> 
> ... Of the 17,299 total city population, only 1,010 people
> voted in the last City Council election, City Clerk Jessie Carpenter
> said...
> 
> 
> Regards;
> 
> Joyce McCloy
> NC Coalition for Verified Voting
> 336-794-1240  jmc27106 at earthlink.net  www.ncvoter.net