Instant Runoff Voting

1
Instant Runoff Voting

• Presented By Deborah Markowitz
• Vermont Secretary of State

2
An election reform that is starting to catch on.
Instant Runoff Voting...

• Was endorsed by 53 Vermont towns through
  non-binding resolutions
• Was recently adopted for Municipal Elections by
  voters in San Francisco
• Has passed charter amendments in other
  municipalities
• Is being considered for statewide use in an
  August referendum in Alaska
• Has been introduced as bills in over a dozen
  state legislatures

3
Plurality Elections
Whichever candidate gets the most votes wins.
Most U.S. elections use plurality rules.

• Advantages
• No runoff is ever needed
• Problems
• The majority choice is often not elected

4
Plurality Rules
5
Second Election Runoffs
If no candidate receives a majority, all
candidates but the top two are eliminated. A
second election is conducted between the
finalists.

• Advantages
• Assures a majority winner
• Problems
• Added taxpayer expense for second election
• Added candidate expense for secondary campaigning
• Very low voter turnout for runoff
• Difficult to administer
• Potential compromise candidate could be eliminated

6
What Is Instant Runoff Voting?

• Method of voting that requires a majority to
  elect a candidate
• Determines a majority winner by conducting
  instant runoffs using voter preferences until one
  candidate has a majority
• Cheaper and more efficient than second elections

7
Instant Runoff Voting
Voters specify their order of preference for
candidates. Ballots are tallied through a series
of instant runoffs until the majority winner is
determined.

• Assures majority rule - a true mandate from the
  voters
• Voters go to the polls only once
• Less expensive than a second election runoff
• Eliminates the spoiler problem

8
How IRV Works
Is there a majority winner?
Retally Ballots
9
IRV - Typical Ballot

• The voter is presented with a list of all
  candidates
• and given the option of specifying his or her
  order
• of preference for candidates.
• The voter may choose to give just a first
• preference.

Ballot for Office
10
IRV- Proposed Vermont Ballot

• This ballot has been
• tentatively approved by
• my elections office for
• use if Vermont passes its
• pending IRV bill.

11
IRV From Two Perspectives
States that already use runoff elections
States that use plurality elections

• Instant runoff voting can determine a majority
  winner in a single election, which
• saves money
• eliminates hassle
• maximizes voter turnout
• allows for the possibility
• of a compromise candidate

• Instant runoff voting
• restores majority rule
• eliminates the spoiler problem
• may reduce mud-slinging campaigns

12
IRV Concerns

• Too complicated for voters
• Reality IRV makes sense with voter education
• Creates headaches for election administration
• Reality No burden on local election officials
• Voting equipment cannot handle the ballots
• Reality Modern equipment can handle it
• NOTE It is important to assure your states new
  equipment has
• this flexibility, in order to protect the capital
  investment.

13

• Instant Runoff Voting
• For more information contact
• Vermont Secretary of State
• www.sec.state.vt.us
• [phone]
• Center for Voting and Democracy
• www.fairvote.org