[EM] Fwd: Ditching IRV Would Save Pierce CO $600,000

[Kathy Dopp]

A good recap that refutes the claim that the IRV method of counting
rank choice ballots saves jurisdictions money. In fact, IRV
significantly raises the costs.  Some good links below give details
where election officials explain some of the extra costs of IRV.  (IRV
may be the most costly complex alternative method in addition to its
being the least fair and equitable.)

June 27, 2009

Forwarded from an email by Joyce McCloy:

      Instant Runoff Voting too Costly - Pierce County WA Says
Ditching  Would Save $600,000
      <http://instantrunoff.blogspot.com/2009/06/instant-runoff-voting-too-costly-pierce.html>


IRV, Instant Runoff Voting - does NOT save money. In fact, the Pierce
County Washington Auditor has recommended ditching IRV in order to
save the county money
<http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/politics/2009/05/06/pierce_county_auditor_sees_savings_from_>.
Savings would be at least $600,000. IRV creates new costs for
machines, software, increased ballot printing costs, and increased
costs of election administration.

    *May 6th, 2009 Pierce County auditor sees savings from scrapping
ranked choice voting
    <http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/politics/2009/05/06/pierce_county_auditor_sees_savings_from_>*
    David Wickert

    So where might Pierce County Auditor Jan Shabro's quest for cost
savings eventually lead? Think ranked choice voting
    <http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/pc/abtus/ourorg/aud/elections/RCV/ranked/rcv.htm>.

    After Tuesday's County Council vote rejecting
    <http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/politics/2009/05/05/pierce_county_council_keeps_polls_open_t>
    her request to close the polls for budget reasons this year,
Shabro   said she has about $600,000 in her budget dedicated to
implementing the system voters approved in 2006 and used for the first
time in 2008.

    In November voters will consider
    <http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/politics/2009/02/10/pierce_county_voters_will_decide_fate_of>
    an amendment to the county charter repealing ranked choice voting.
    County officials say voter confusion about the system contributed
to long lines at the polls last November. Ranked-choice voting
supporters say the auditor's office blamed the system for its own
mistakes....But Shabro said the repeal would save money next year,
when the county budget may be in even worse shape...

*Why does Instant Runoff Voting increase election costs?*

    A recap by Pierce County Washington officials outlines the costs and issues:
    <http://www.ncvoter.net/downloads/Pierce_Co_WA_2008_IRV_Recap.pdf>

    The county had the costs of new software, education, equipment,
    increased testing, additional staffing, increased ballot printing
    and postage costs. The county hired an Election Consultant. Total
costs - $3,291,340. Due to complications, four additional Charter
Amendments had to be presented to the voters in November 2007 to
clarify the implementation of IRV. *Other unexpected costs* - *the
county had to switch to central counting of the votes after
discovering that the precinct scanners could not count the IRV votes.
*This meant hauling ballots to the county office to be counted by the
central count scanners. The shift to central counting meant the county
had to hire 114 Ballot Transporters and Ballot Processors. The county
also instituted 24 hour shifts to check in, visually scan and tabulate
the votes...


*56,751 of 90,738 Pierce County Voters polled said they did not like IRV*

    December 5th, 2008 Ranked Choice: Very expensive and Pierce voters hated it
    <http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/politics/2008/12/05/ranked_choice_very_expensive_and_pierce_>
    Joe Turner The News Tribune.

    ...Although Pierce County voters changed the county charter last
year to allow the new voting method, it appears they have changed
their collecting mind. Two of three voters who responded to a survey
were opposed to the concept.
    ...McCarthy said 90,738 voters answered the questionnaire that
    asked, "Did you like this new Ranked Choice Voting method?"Of
those,  56,751 said "No," 29,206 said "Yes" and 4,781 were undecided.


*In November, Pierce County voters decide whether to ditch IRV or not: *

    February 10th, 2009 Pierce County voters will decide fate of new
voting system
    <http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/politics/2009/02/10/pierce_county_voters_will_decide_fate_of>*David
    Wickert* The News Tribune
    Pierce County voters will decide in November whether to repeal an
election system they used for the first time last fall. By a vote of
6-1, the County Council approved an amendment to the county charter
this afternoon that would repeal ranked choice voting. Now the fate of
the election system goes to voters for the third time in three years.
..

    PLEASE DIGG THIS STORY <http://digg.com/d1v7U1>

http://instantrunoff.blogspot.com/2009/06/instant-runoff-voting-too-costly-pierce.html
Joyce McCloy
www.instantrunoffvoting.us
www.ncvoter.net