Political Reform Blog

A Blog from New America's Political Reform Program

Instant Runoff Voting Empowers Communities of Color

  • By
  • Blair Bobier
May 18, 2010

A panel of political experts convened to advise citizens and candidates how to campaign under an Instant Runoff Voting system all agreed that IRV has cut down on negative campaigning in San Francisco and has forced candidates to broaden their efforts to include outreach to communities often ignored in political contests.

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Throw the Bums Out (Again)

  • By
  • Blair Bobier
May 4, 2010
Conventional wisdom holds that the Democrats—as the party controlling the White House—will lose congressional seats in the 2010 midterm elections. Americans, an impatient and demanding bunch, seem to have a recurring case of buyer’s remorse every four years. No sooner do we elect a president than do we decide that our national leader isn’t doing the job we want—or doing it fast enough.
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IRV Special Elections Bill Advances in California Legislature

  • By
  • Gautam Dutta
May 4, 2010

Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) just took a key step forward in the California statehouse.

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San Leandro Approves Ranked Choice Voting...Again

  • By
  • Blair Bobier
April 20, 2010

The San Leandro City Council once again approved of moving forward with Ranked Choice Voting at their meeting last night.

It’s a good thing they did.

Landmark Federal Case Upholds Instant Runoff Voting

  • By
  • Blair Bobier
April 17, 2010

In a landmark opinion issued late on Friday, Federal District Court Judge Richard Seeborg upheld the constitutionality of San Francisco’s Ranked Choice Voting method, the first time a federal court has weighed in on the subject of Instant Runoff Voting (IRV).

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Federal Judge Likely to Reject IRV Challenge

  • By
  • Blair Bobier
April 1, 2010
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At a hearing in San Francisco today, Federal District Court Judge Richard Seeborg said he was likely to reject a challenge to San Francisco’s Ranked Choice Voting system. This was the first—and perhaps last—hearing on a lawsuit challenging the particular methodology of San Francisco’s Ranked Choice (or Instant Runoff) Voting system. The plaintiffs in the case, led by perennial losing San Francisco candidate Ron Dudum, argue that San Francisco’s system is unconstitutional because it limits voters to vote for three candidates at a time.

The plaintiffs have a tough sell.

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Political Re-form or Political De-form?

  • By
  • Blair Bobier
March 31, 2010

I can’t remember who said: if pro and con are opposites, and progress means to move forward, what does Congress mean?

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Fed Court to Hear IRV Lawsuit on Thursday

  • By
  • Blair Bobier
March 30, 2010

On Thursday, a federal judge will give the first public airing of a lawsuit challenging the particular methodology of San Francisco’s Ranked Choice Voting system.

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Clean Sweep for Instant Runoff Voting

  • By
  • Blair Bobier
February 11, 2010

Berkeley's decision Tuesday night to use Instant Runoff Voting for the 2010 elections marks a clean sweep for IRV in the East Bay this year. On Tuesday night, by an 8-1 vote of its city council, Berkeley became the third city in Alameda County since the beginning of the New Year to officially adopt Instant Runoff Voting. Last month, both the Oakland and San Leandro city councils approved using IRV for local elections starting this year.

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Is Big Money behind SF Lawsuit?

  • By
  • Blair Bobier
February 10, 2010

An out-of-left-field lawsuit has been filed against San Francisco’s use of Instant Runoff Voting claiming, of all things, that voters aren’t given enough choices on their ballots. IRV is also known as Ranked Choice Voting and, for those unfamiliar with it, allows voters to rank their three top candidate choices on the ballot in order of preference.

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