SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT GOVERNMENT ADOPTS INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING:

Campus Greens Praise Action

March 8, 2004
by Jared Laiti

The Associated Students of Sonoma State University has approved changes that will make it one of the increasing number of college and university campuses to use Instant Runoff Voting (IRV).

In an election using IRV, voters rank candidates according to their preference. If no candidate receives a majority of first choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and the second choice of their supporters is tabulated. Candidates continue to be eliminated in this fashion until one candidate reaches a majority. The new rules at SSU also provide for a modified version of IRV for electing multiple seat offices, based on a required minimum of one-third of votes cast, as well as a binding none-of-the-above option for candidates running unchallenged.

IRV ensures a winner supported by a majority of voters without a costly, often low-turnout, second runoff election. It also gives voters more choice to express their political views without harming the chances of those considered more likely to win, eliminating the ‘spoiler’ issue.

In last year’s student government elections, two progressives entered the race initially, the current AS President Jason Spencer, and Amy Wingfield, who eventually dropped out allowing Spencer to win with a slim majority. With IRV, it would be possible for two progressive candidates to run and raise important issues without harming each other’s chances; in fact, by campaigning cooperatively and asking their supporters to rank the other candidate second, they could both increase their chances of being elected.

Other student governments have adopted IRV, including the University of California at Davis, and several California cities are in the process of implementing IRV, including San Francisco and Berkeley, which just passed Measure I calling for a switch to the new voting system.

As Greens, we praise the action of the Associated Students and President Spencer, which we feel will increase democracy and participation in student elections. Also, the Green Party has often advocated for election reforms including IRV, and adoption of IRV on campuses and in municipalities sets the stage for its use at the state and national levels. In today’s political climate where Greens and other third-party candidates are urged not to run so as not to ‘spoil’ the chances of major party candidates, IRV is a crucial reform that would allow voters to vote their conscience, while still having some insurance against their worst fears in the form of their lower-ranked choices.

SONOMA STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS GREENS http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/sonomacampusgreens
Contact:
Jared Laiti, President, JaredL@sbcglobal.net
Veronica Lopez, Treasurer, Clrsight001@hotmail.com

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