By Heather J. Carlson, Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

A Rochester City Council member is urging other city officials to consider changing how votes are cast within the city.

Red Wing's Charter Commission will begin examining the system for use there.

Council member Michael Wojcik has asked to speak before the city's Charter Commission to ask them to consider having Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) in Rochester.

Under this system, voters would rank candidates based on preference. Wojcik said he would like to see Rochester use this system because it requires candidates to get more than 50 percent of the vote to win an election, and it eliminates the dilemma some voters face of feeling like they would be throwing their vote away if they voted for a third-party candidate who is not expected to have a chance at winning.

The voting system has its share of critics. They note that a candidate who wins the most votes at first can end up losing an election, and it would require new election machines that have not thoroughly been tested.

Before this type of switch could be made, Rochester's Charter Commission would need to make a recommendation to the City Council. Unless the council approved the recommendation unanimously, the issue would be put to the voters to decide.

Wojcik has requested to address a series of election reforms he is proposing, including Instant Runoff Voting, at the commission's Nov. 11 meeting. His other ideas include eliminating the use of appointments to fill vacant council seats and arguing against the need for a 7th Ward.

"I'm a pretty strong supporter of instant runoff voting and election reform in general because I think there have been some really rotten things that have happened in Rochester and Minnesota in recent years and this would have alleviated the problem," he said.

In particular, he said it was unfair that there was no primary held for the school board elections in 2008 despite a number of candidates seeking the seats. He said that meant board members got onto the board with far less than a majority of votes.

City Council President Dennis Hanson did not return a phone call seeking comment. Rochester Mayor Ardell Brede said he needs to learn more about the voting system before he would be comfortable giving an opinion on it.

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Instant Runoff Voting FAQ

How does it work?

Voters rank candidates in order of choice: 1, 2, 3 and so on. It takes a majority to win. If anyone receives a majority of the first-choice votes, that candidate is elected. If not, the last place candidate is defeated, and all ballots are counted again, but this time each ballot cast for the defeated candidate counts for the next choice candidate listed on the ballot. The process of eliminating the last place candidate and recounting the ballots continues until one candidate receives a majority of the vote.

Is this too complex?

No, supporters say. All the voter has to do is rank one or more candidates. It's like picking an ice cream: What flavor do you want? That's your first choice. If they don't have that flavor, what would you like? That's your second choice. If they don't have that, what's your third pick?

Is anyone using it?

Minneapolis voters will use IRV this fall.

St. Paul voters will decide this fall whether to use the system for city elections.