Northeaster
August 23, 2006

Article by Nancy Sartor

Minneapolis voters will have a chance to do away with city primary elections, and to rank candidtates in order of preference, rather than voting for ony one candidate per race, if they approve a City Charter amendment inthe general election Nov. 7.

Nygaard Notes
Independent Periodic News and Analysis
Number 342, August 25, 2006

On the Web at http://www.nygaardnotes.org/

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This Week:  Instant Runoff Voting

1.  “Quote” of the Week
2.  Instant Runoff Voting: How and Why
3.  Heads Up, Minneapolis Voters!  IRV is Coming!
4.  Learn More About Instant Runoff Voting
5.  Off The Front Page Jubilee (Well, More Than One, Anyway...)

Skyway News/Downtown Journal (Minneapolis) August 21, 2006

http://www.skywaynews.net/articles/2006/08/21/news/news07.txt

By Kari VanDerVeen

Last update: July 08, 2006 – 11:15 PM

Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/561/story/539444.html

Instant runoff voting offers return to majority rule.

Last update: May 30, 2006 – 8:54 PM

Rochelle Olson, Star Tribune

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/463589.html

There would be no primary. Voters would rank candidates on the city election ballot in one-two-three order; totals would decide the race.

The Minneapolis Observer, May 26, 2006

http://www.mplsobserver.com/node/979

A two-year campaign to change the way Minneapolis votes got a surprisingly positive response today in City Hall, but supporters face more obstacles before the idea lands on the November ballot.

Takoma Park to run next city election with IRV

Learn more about it at FairVote IRV America 

On April 10, 2006, the city council of Takoma Park, Maryland voted unanimously for a second and final time to change the city council charter to ensure all future city elections are held with instant runoff voting. The vote followed a resounding 84%--16% win in a November 2005 advisory measure. IRV will be used in November 2007 elections for mayor and city council, although could be used earlier to fill any vacanies. Ballots will be counted by hand, as the city changed to paper ballots in 2005 to save money.

Takoma becomes the fifth city having adopted IRV in the modern era. San Francisco (CA) and Burlington (VT) have run successful IRV elections. Voters in Ferndale (MI) and Berkeley (CA) supported IRV by overwhelming margins, and IRV will be used once it can be implemented. Several other jurisdictions have changed their charters to allow IRV to be implemented by statute.

Burlington Free Press
April 4, 2006

Opinion
by Scudder Parker (the Democratic candidate for Governor in Vermont)

Voters and elections officials in Burlington should be congratulated on the smooth implementation of instant runoff voting (IRV) during the recent mayoral race. No matter which candidate one supported in that election, there can be no dispute about how flawlessly the new IRV system performed in smoothly achieving a majority winner in a multi-candidate race.