Upholding the principle of majority rule and accommodating genuine voter choice are marks of a well-functioning democracy. That's why we encourage understanding, adoption and effective implementation of instant runoff voting, a ranked choice voting system used in a growing number of American elections.
On February 12th, FairVote executive director Rob Richie was a guest on CSPAN television's Washington Journal, aired live around the nation. That day he also had the first and final letters in the New York Times' "Invitation to Dialogue" series on voting reform. FairVote staff and interns have been publishing many articles in 2012.
Instant runoff voting (known locally as ranked choice voting) is currently used in several cities in the San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco held its first ranked choice voting elections in 2004. Oakland and San Leandro used ranked choice voting to conduct mayoral elections in 2010, with the Oakland mayoral race receiving extensive coverage in national media. Berkeley also used ranked choice voting in 2010 to elect several citywide positions.
With new Bay Area elections around the corner, IRV is again receiving attention in the press. Visit this page for the latest commentary, analysis and media coverage on ranked choice voting in Bay Area elections.
U.S. Senators Dick Lugar (R-IN), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Kent Conrad (R-ND) share a history of bipartisan policymaking -- and the reality that they are leaving Congress. With its "the-rules-matter" perspective, FairVote explores the way in which our winner-take-all voting system disadvantages centrist candidates and discourages bipartisanship.
