San Jose Elections Commission Pondering Instant Runoff Voting
June 1st, 2009San Jose, the 10th most populous city in the United States, is considering using Instant-Runoff Voting for its own elections. Since it is a charter city, under California law, it is free to do this if it wishes. The San Jose Elections Commission will discuss IRV at its June 10 meeting. On June 11, the New America Foundation and Common Cause are sponsoring a panel discussion about IRV, featuring two city council members, Sam Liccardo and Ash Kalra. It is between noon and 1:15 pm in room 225 of the Martin Luther King Jr. Public Library at 150 E. San Fernando Street in downtown San Jose. The meeting is free and lunch is furnished.
To implement IRV, the city council would need to place a charter amendment on the ballot. If San Jose were to implement IRV, it would be the most populous jurisdiction using IRV in the U.S. Thanks to Blair Bobier for this news.
June 1st, 2009 at 1:02 pm
And in the commercial establishment and business sphere:
Letter tp the editor…………
Here we go again. The NYT once again is broadcasting from FantasyLand. Yes, General Motors is an icon. Yes, Alfred P. Sloan was a genius. However, post world war II, GM has been digging it’s own grave since the 1950s.
Cadillac as the standard for luxury? Maybe for ‘drivers’ who get behind the wheel after hobbling in their walker. Even in the fifties. Even in the back wards mid west. Cadillac was grandpa’s dream car. All three ‘coasts’ were probably a decade ahead of the curve.
A vehicle for every niche? Oh, that decisive take over of Jeep for the pre SUV set. Oops, never happened!
Over kill on the avalanche of makes and models. Strangling of creativity via layer after suffocating layer of so called management. These short falls were served up FOR DECADES.
Watch out, New York Times, auto companies are not the only 21st century corporations facing the abyss.
Donald Raymond Lake
Late of Kansas City, Missouri
263 Eucalyptus Court
Chula Vista, California
91910-3030
619.420.0209
Donlake@ymail.com
June 1st, 2009 at 4:04 pm
How many times will a Stalin clone and a Hitler clone be in final top 2 if IRV is used ???
It only takes ONE B-A-D election for major BAD stuff to happen — along with other fatal defects in a regime.
See the 1932 election in Germany — leading to Hitler in Jan. 1933.
Result — about 70 million dead in World War II.
Approval Voting NOW — for ALL elected executive officers and all judges.
Vote for 1 or more = YES = Approval — highest win.
Way too difficult for the math MORONS hyping IRV as the greatest F-I-X in world history (along with the NPV scheme).
June 1st, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Germany didn’t have IRV.
June 1st, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Yes, approval voting is vastly superior to IRV. Unfortunately the mathematics that show that are a bit beyond the comprehension of the layman. Still, I would not go so far as to call them “morons”. A lot of them mean well. You should challenge yourself to help educate them in a constructive way rather than belittling them.
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:56 am
Saying that IRV leads to Hitler is a little far-fetched. It reminds me of Thomas Edison’s campaign to say that Nikola Tesla’s AC power would blow people up…
If you need a case for IRV, look at the Minnesota Senate race from last year (which still isn’t over).
June 3rd, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Just skip approval voting and go straight to range/score voting. Approval voting is just range voting with less expressivity.
June 5th, 2009 at 9:53 am
IRV is easier for the masses to comprehend than other systems, though.
June 10th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Vaughn,
IRV would make situations like Coleman-Franken MORE common, not less.
http://ScoreVoting.net/TieRisk.html