Sacramento Should Consider Instant Runoff Voting

“With Mayor Kevin Johnson’s ‘strong mayor’ proposal headed for the ballot and a Charter Review Committee examining potential changes to city government, now is the perfect time to consider whether Sacramento’s method of electing local officials serves the best interests of its citizens.”

So begins my op-ed running in today’s Sacramento Bee. You can read the rest of the piece here where I propose Instant Runoff Voting as a way to generate interest and new ideas for Sacramento city government. Sacramento’s city council races are pretty low-key affairs with little voter participation in what are largely uncontested or landslide elections. By changing the dynamics of elections and making campaigns easier and cheaper to run, IRV could encourage more local citizens to step up to the plate and run for office; leading to innovation, increased voter turnout and a greater diversity of elected officials.