Town Meeting Day is just over, and one of the new subjects seems to be election reform. I’d say we’re due to look at the question from a number of perspectives, and there’s a lot to talk about:

First, we have instant runoff voting (IRV). As you know by now, Bob Kiss was elected Mayor of Burlington in the state’s first use of IRV. Bob ran first but only gathered 39% of the vote on the first round, but in the runoff, with all but the two leading candidates eliminated, he came in with a solid majority. The voting was smooth and fast, with final results in by 9:00. What’s more, the true results are available online, so you don’t have to worry about shenanigans, fraud, or hanging chads.

I’m all for runoff voting for one reason:

I’m sick of the D’s and P’s killing each other off in general elections and handing seats to the Republican. I’m not sure that instant runoff is the way to go: the fact that it’s cheaper than holding a separate runoff election doesn’t necessarily convince me, but if that’s the horse with the best chance of winning I can certainly get behind it. VPR covered the issue tonight, and if you missed it, follow this link.

We’re also looking at same-day registration. S. 164 has now passed the House, with proposals of amendment, and is back at the Senate to consider whether to accept the proposed amendments or appoint a conference committee. I think it’s safe to say that the people working to get this bill passed didn’t get everything they wanted (who does?) but they are still encouraged by this move to make it easier to get registered and vote, even on Election Day. I’m skeptical that same day registration will result in significantly more registration, much less higher voter turnout or significantly different results, but how do you argue against more democracy?

Finally, speaking of more democracy, Rick Hertzberg had an interesting piece in the New Yorker last month about a move to abolish the Electoral College without a constitutional amendment. This one is clearly pie in the sky, but it’s worth thinking about. The campaign, known as the Campaign for a National Popular Vote, calls for a critical mass of states to adopt an interstate compact by which they would agree to instruct their electors to vote for the national winner of the popular vote. Aside from the general idea that the Electoral College is undemocratic (not a trivial complaint, I would think), the supporters point out, among other things, that the arguments in favor of the Electoral College are spurious and that a nationwide popular vote will end some serious shortocmings of the current system, not least of which is the fact that both political parties ignore the majority of states and concerntrate all their efforts on the states they think are in play in the election. As I say, it’s pie in the sky, but worth thinking about. If you to go the web site you can actually download their book.