Instant Runoff Voting Presented By: Deborah Markowitz Vermont Secretary of State

An election reform that is starting to catch on. Was endorsed by 53 Vermont towns through non-binding resolutions Was recently adopted for Municipal Elections by voters in San Francisco Has passed charter amendments in other municipalities Is being considered for statewide use in an August referendum in Alaska Has been introduced as bills in over a dozen state legislatures Instant Runoff Voting...

Plurality Elections Advantages No runoff is ever needed Problems The majority choice is often not elected Whichever candidate gets the most votes wins. Most U.S. elections use plurality rules.

Winner Plurality Rules Winner But majority prefer A over B

Second Election Runoffs Advantages Assures a majority winner Problems Added taxpayer expense for second election Added candidate expense for secondary campaigning Very low voter turnout for runoff Difficult to administer Potential compromise candidate could be eliminated If no candidate receives a majority, all candidates but the top two are eliminated. A second election is conducted between the finalists.

What Is Instant Runoff Voting? Method of voting that requires a majority to elect a candidate Determines a majority winner by conducting instant runoffs using voter preferences until one candidate has a majority Cheaper and more efficient than second elections

Instant Runoff Voting Assures majority rule - a true mandate from the voters Voters go to the polls only once Less expensive than a second election runoff Eliminates the spoiler problem Voters specify their order of preference for candidates. Ballots are tallied through a series of instant runoffs until the majority winner is determined.

How IRV Works Declare a winner No majority Eliminate lowest candidate Retally Ballots Is there a majority winner? Yes No Tally All Ballots Voters Vote Their Preferences

IRV - Typical Ballot The voter is presented with a list of all candidates and given the option of specifying his or her order of preference for candidates. The voter may choose to give just a first preference. Ballot for Office

IRV- Proposed Vermont Ballot This ballot has been tentatively approved by my elections office for use if Vermont passes its pending IRV bill.

IRV From Two Perspectives Instant runoff voting can determine a majority winner in a single election, which: saves money eliminates hassle maximizes voter turnout allows for the possibility of a compromise candidate Instant runoff voting: restores majority rule eliminates the spoiler problem may reduce mud-slinging campaigns States that already use runoff elections States that use plurality elections

IRV Concerns Too complicated for voters Reality: IRV makes sense with voter education Creates headaches for election administration Reality: No burden on local election officials Voting equipment cannot handle the ballots Reality: Modern equipment can handle it NOTE: It is important to assure your state’s new equipment has this flexibility, in order to protect the capital investment.

Instant Runoff Voting For more information contact: Vermont Secretary of State (802) Center for Voting and Democracy