newsobserver.com projects - Donnan: Not sure about instant runoffs - Comments

Re: Donnan: Not sure about instant runoffs

DemocracyFactchecker — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:53:34 -0400

Scotland's use of ranked choice ballots is widely seen as successful in Scotland -- all city elections there will continue to use the system when they next vote. The problems at the polls were in the NON-ranked voting elections, not the ranked voting results, and tied to a bad butterfly ballot-type ballot design for those elections. Note that Scotland used optical scan ballots.

Burlington, Vermont used instant runoff voting for the time first time in a hotly contested, five-candidate election for mayor in 2006. All votes fit on one ballot -- for mayor, city council and ballot questions. More people voted for mayor than any other office/question, and the rate of those voting for mayor was 99.9% -- only one in a thousand voters spoiled their ballot. Like every other city that has used instant runoff voting after voters passed it, it will continue to use the system.

Re: Donnan: Not sure about instant runoffs

citizen27106 — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:36:57 -0400

Ms. Donnan knows that in Australia they have very simple ballots and do not vote for long lists of contests like we do in the US.

Australia uses hand counted paper ballots that are very very simple.

IRV fits well when combined with simple ballots.

Scotland had hand counted paper ballots until May 2007 last year. Then they implimented STV (another form of ranked choice voting like IRV) and they also switched to computerized voting because they wanted "instant" results.

There were at least 100,000 spoiled ballot papers in that Scottish election, due to confusion (two different kinds of ballots, one regular, one with ranking required) and due to the voting machines malfunctioning.

With that many ballots spoiled, you can bet that the legitimacy of the election is in doubt for many voters.

Donnan: Not sure about instant runoffs

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:28:49 -0400

Mary Fant Donnan would be willing to consider instant runoffs.

The candidate for the Democratic nomination for labor commissioner said she first learned about the voting method while living in Australia in the late 1980s.

That country uses both instant runoffs and other forms of preferential voting in various races.

"It made sense to me, but I think there are things I've heard about that raise questions about how well it works — both making it simple and being careful not to disenfranchise voters," she said. "I don't have a particular thought about instant runoffs the way it's been proposed."

Donnan said she has heard voters talking about instant runoffs as well as changing the required percentage for a winner in down-ballot races. She said she would be part of the discussion on either change going forward.

One thing she would not support is another Australian innovation: Compulsory voting.

"I couldn't see that would translate well into our culture," she said.

Previously: Brooks opposes instant runoff voting.