[EM] Fwd: Ranked Choice Voting a Clear Winner in St. Paul Elections

[David L Wetzell]

it seems that voters in St Paul liked using IRV for city council elections.

dlw

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: FairVote MN <info at fairvotemn.org>
Date: Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 4:30 PM
Subject: Ranked Choice Voting a Clear Winner in St. Paul Elections
To: "wetzelld at gmail.com" <wetzelld at gmail.com>


**
    [image: FairVote MN
eNews]<http://fairvotemn.org/sites/fairvotemn.org/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=45607&qid=347906>

Nov. 9, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

*Ranked Choice Voting a Clear Winner in St. Paul Elections*

*Voter outreach, clear ballot yield positive experience in wards where RV
is used*

ST. PAUL – One big winner in St. Paul’s city council elections Tuesday:
Ranked Choice Voting. Voting reform supporters across Minnesota are elated
that the new system’s rollout in St. Paul was the clear success we
anticipated, thanks to a comprehensive voter education campaign conducted
by FairVote MN and Ramsey County, a well-designed ballot and the system’s
inherent ease of use.

“The news today is that there is no news,” Joe Mansky, Ramsey County
election manager, told a Pioneer Press
reporter<http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_19292414>.
As Ward 3 election judge Robert Mooney said in the same article, the change
“hasn’t been controversial or confusing.”

In FairVote Minnesota’s informal exit polling of nearly 200 voters in wards
1, 2 and 3, voters expressed almost uniform ease of use with the new system
and most desired to continue using it. “It’s simple,” “It’s
straightforward,” “I like it – if my first choice doesn’t make it, I have a
backup choice,” “I heard little negativity,” and “It’s high time this was
implemented!” were typical comments about the ranked ballot. Early reviews
of the ballots from the city show few spoiled ballots.

In wards with competitive, multicandidate races – where voters felt their
backup choices could make the difference – voters overwhelmingly exercised
the option to rank candidates. In Ward 2’s close contest between incumbent
Dave Thune and challengers Jim Ivey and Bill Hosko, a full 72 percent of
voters cast a second-choice vote. Forty percent cast a third-choice vote,
16 percent cast a fourth-choice vote and 10 percent cast a fifth-choice
vote.

In Wards 1 and 2, where results were decisive in the first round of
counting and second choices didn’t come into play, most voters still used
their rankings: In Ward 1, 54 percent of voters marked a second choice and
27 marked a third choice; in Ward 3, 62 percent marked a second choice and
30 percent marked a third choice. This demonstrated that the more
competitive the race (i.e., the smaller the percentage of votes for the
winner or the top candidate in round 1), the more voters ranked.

In Ward 2, the contest between Thune, Ivey and Hosko will be decided
Monday, when a manual count will be undertaken at Ramsey County Elections
Division (90 W. Plato Blvd, St. Paul). The count will begin at 8:30 am and
is open to the public.

Ballots in that race will be counted in rounds, with the lowest
vote-getters eliminated and their votes redistributed to remaining
candidates until one has a majority – or until two candidates remain, and
the one with the largest number of votes wins. Presently, Dave Thune leads
in round 1, 12 percentage points ahead of second-place finisher Ivey. Ivey
leads third-place finisher Hosko by just 57 votes.

Ivey garnered the largest share (33 percent) of second-choice votes, with
Thune and Hosko receiving 25 percent and 23 percent respectively. Ballots
of the two eliminated candidates, Sharon Anderson and Cynthia Schanno, plus
write-in ballots, will be redistributed to Thune, Ivey and Hosko based on
those voters’ second choices.

Should Hosko advance, the winner will depend on the second choices on
Ivey's ballots (and potentially the third or additional choices on the
ballots of the already eliminated candidates). If Ivey advances, the winner
will depend on the second choices on Hosko's ballots (and potentially the
third or additional choices on the ballots of the already eliminated
candidates).

Thune’s large initial lead will not be easily surpassed; however, either
Ivey’s or Hosko’s final totals could potentially exceed Thune’s in the
final round. Ivey’s large share of second-choice votes is an advantage
should he advance over Hosko.

Voter turnout was roughly equivalent to general election turnout in past
council elections, there was an increase the number of voters this year in
Wards 2 and 3, where the races were most competitive. And, more
importantly, the move to RCV increased voter *participation* overall by
eliminating the costly, low-turnout primary and rolling two rounds into one
higher-turnout, more diverse general election. Essentially, more St.
Paulites had a hand in the “winnowing” process and the final selection of
the winner. (In Portland, Maine, which just implemented RCV and had a
highly competitive citywide mayoral race, turnout exceeded expectations.)

FairVote Minnesota congratulates yesterday’s winners and all candidates who
ran for the first time under RCV. The absence of confusion or difficulty,
the fact that voters in wards with competitive multicandidate races chose
to rank their choices, and the widespread positive feedback from voters in
those wards all attest to the transition’s success – and the effectiveness
of the voter education campaign.

While many of RCV’s benefits were already shown in Tuesday’s results, some
will materialize over time. But the triumph of voting reform in St. Paul is
cause for celebration, and we’re confident that more cities across
Minnesota will embrace RCV – a political innovation that fosters
competition, increases voter participation, encourages positive campaigning
and eliminates worries about “spoilers” and “wasted votes” in municipal
elections.

-n-



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