This should be the nail in the coffin of the attempt to repeal IRV in Burlington (not saying it will be, just saying it should be). From a press release:
Mr. (Andy) Montroll, who was the Democratic nominee for mayor in 2009, added, “We shouldn’t measure our rules based on who wins and who loses in any one election. I support a fair election system that upholds the principle of majority rule. The 40% winner system proposed by Question 5 violates that principle. Please join me in voting no on Question 5.”
Montroll also noted, “I see benefits to both instant runoff voting and to delayed runoff voting; but regardless, we need to support the 50% requirement in our elections for mayor.”
Montroll, of course, is the candidate that really got screwed by IRV’s “perverse outcome” (which even IRV dogmatics are slowly starting to acknowledge as real). By any other measure, its Montroll, not Kurt Wright, who would’ve won.
IRV opponents have clearly overreached by petitioning for a return to the 40% threshold for winning the mayor’s race, rather than the more obviously fair 50%. IRV is superior in all measurable ways to a plurality vote, and even (though not as dramatically) to a traditional runoff, but proponents wanted their 40%, which could potentially allow a Republican like Wright to slip by the majority. This means, frankly, that the IRV vs. traditional runoff debate (or Condorcet, or whatever) shouldn’t even be on the table for discussion. This is simply about majority rule.
There will always be opposition to free and fair elections from those who wish to game the election system.
IRV is a system that works to support the candidate with the most support, even if they were not the voter’s first choice.
Having voted in Burlington using this method I heartily endorse that it be applied to our Governor’s race as well.
Perhaps then the addition of a third party candidate will not be viewed as a spoiler.
I believe that many Vermont voters would vote Progressive instead of Democrat if they could express their 2nd choice and know it could count.
People that are too stupid or too arrogant to understand that IRV is a fair method to conduct an election couldn’t care less if Gawd Herself supported this.
you vote for simple people…
KwickStopKurt fits that bill… anyone who lives in the new North End care to put up a list of legislative initiatives he has INTRODUCED during this legislative time?? Not signed onto, but came up ass his own bright idea..??? pretty short list I am betting.