Instant Runoff Voting - Is it Democratic?

[SamuelA]

Run time: 08:21 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=img9y2AYTQA   Posted on YouTube: October 29, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: October 30, 2009 By DU Member: SamuelA Views on DU: 673

 
Instant Runoff Voting - Is it Democratic? Information from an in-depth study performed on the Burlington, VT Mayoral Election by the University of Vermont's Legislative Research Shop. It answers the question which all voting systems should address - do the results reflect the will of the people?

[Renew Deal]

1. NTSA

[ProgressOnTheMove]

2. I think if a person is voting then it's democratic. If Hartmann says it's fairer I go with his ...

better knowledge.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

3. Brad Friedman (BradBlog) calls Instant Runoff Voting a VIRUS

Blogged by Brad Friedman on 6/2/2009

'Instant Runoff Voting' (IRV) Election Virus Spreads to Los Angeles County Joins 'Internet Voting' and 'Vote-by-Mail' schemes as the latest bad ideas poised to further cripple American democracy

PLUS: IRV count fails in Aspen's first instant runoff election

...Gautum Dutta, of the Democratic-leaning Asian American Action Fund blog notes a recent L.A. County Board of Supervisors meeting which "discussed a study on the cost of special elections and Instant Runoff Voting (IRV)" ...

While speaking to the Board of Supervisors, RegistrarRecorder/County Clerk Dean Logan testified how low voter turnout and high costs have plagued our special elections. ...If IRV had been used instead of special runoff elections, taxpayers could have saved up to $3.6 million.

Note to Messrs. Dutta and Logan: Taxpayers could save even more money if we simply allow you two to just decide for us who gets elected!

As Logan, chief election official of the nation's largest voting jurisdiction (larger than 43 states combined) has had more than enough problems with the current voting system which can't even add one plus one plus one accurately, such that it is virtually impossible for anybody to verify the accuracy of results, the last thing this county needs is to complicate the math even further by confusing matters with IRV's complicate scheme of ranked choice voting where voters are asked to select a first and second place choices, etc.

that matter, unless, and until, we can simplify our election procedures such that any and all citizens are able to oversee and verify the accuracy of their election results, no jurisdiction in this country should employ schemes like IRV, no matter how well-meaning supporters of it may be in hoping to allow a broader range of candidates and parties to have a shot at winning an election....
more at the link - including Aspen's recent IRV meltdown.
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=7198

[MNBrewer]

4. Minneapolis is instituting it in our city elections starting next month

I'm looking forward to it. Have been wanting it for years.

[rebelyell69]

5. A study from a major University on a real IRV race. Pretty credible.