Instant Runoff Voting

[ajacobson]

If IRV was instituted in the primaries and caucuses, that would totally stop the horserace element and drastically reduce attacks by one candidate against another. If you had to think about not only your core supporters but also whether you are preferred as a second or third choice, you wouldn't want to alienate supporters of other candidates.

Why aren't we making this happen?

For more info on IRV see www.fairvote.org

[Bruce McAuley]

1. I like IRV.

I'm all for it.
When do we start?
:hi:

Bruce

[MGKrebs]

2. I've only recently become aware of this idea...

and I see no downside.

[tinanator]

3. Might ask the controlling interests in San Francisco

I believe they scuttled IRV, despite the success of the measure.

[ajacobson]

5. Delayed but not gone

The Center for Voting and Democracy has been to court several times to make sure that it doesn't fall through the cracks. Hard to say what Newsome's administration will do but they can't use the excuse that they didn't have enough time to implement, like the past crowd did.

[Mairead]

4. "Why aren't we making this happen?"

Because our rulers don't want it, and there are plenty of rank-and-file people who aren't really pro-democracy--they're pro-winning, which is quite different.

[Pobeka]

6. Kick.

This is just as important as black box voting. IRV would make campaigns cleaner, and reduce the stranglehold of the 2 party system on our society.

I too see no downside.

[pmbryant]

7. You have a great point

Instituting IRV in general elections will be a huge task. But doing so in Dem primaries would be a good stepping stone, a presumably a lot easier to accomplish.

Great question: Why aren't we making this happen?

It's time to start!

:bounce:

Hopefully by the time our next Dem President retires in 2012 after two terms, we will have this in place!

:-)

--Peter

[Cleita]

8. I like IRV too.

I think it offers one solution to getting us back on track as a democracy, not a Republic of special interests.