IRV Victories Celebrated

The CPL is happy for a couple of Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) victories here in Minnesota yesterday.

Minneapolis implemented their first election under IRV and it went off quite well - no weeping seniors in the corners of elementary school gymnasiums because they just couldn't get it. We think the official results for the races where IRV needs to be used (those with a top candidate receiving fewer than 50% of votes will be done well before Thanksgiving. The Dec. 21 date that detractors kept throwing out is (and always was) a joke.

And, in the other "Twin" City - St. Paul voters favored a switch over to IRV with the ballot initiative passing 52% to 48% (Karaoke voted FOR the IRV switch). St. Paul voters should get their first taste of IRV in the 2011 elections (City Council).

It's likely that if IRV were in place in 2008 - Michelle Bachman would have lost.