IRV Special Elections Bill Advances in California Legislature

Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) just took a key step forward in the California statehouse.

The California Senate Elections Committee just approved legislation (SB 1346) that will make it possible to use IRV for special (midterm) elections.  The bill, introduced by Elections Committee Chair Sen. Loni Hancock, will save counties millions of dollars by allowing them to use instant runoff voting (IRV) for special elections to fill vacancies.

What’s more, SB 1346 will drastically reduce the time needed to fill a vacant seat.  Currently, it takes over half a year to fill any vacancies that occur between elections.  Just as one example, former State Senator John Benoit resigned from his seat last November.  His successor will not be chosen until June.  If IRV had been used for this special election, taxpayers would have saved nearly $1 million.

Our press release on the bill explains why this legislation matters:

Under the current special election system, if one candidate fails to gain a majority of the votes, then the top candidate from each political party enters into a costly run-off election. In 2009, legislative seats previously held by state legislators Mike Duvall, Paul Krekorian, and John Benoit went vacant. While few voters turn out for the special elections, they waste a troubling sum of taxpayer dollars during an economic downturn: nearly $4 million between the elections to replace Duvall, Krekorian, and Benoit.

With IRV, voters are able to elect a majority winner in a single election by ranking their choices (1, 2, 3). This reform, which has attracted bipartisan support, saves taxpayer dollars, relieves voter fatigue, and reduces the amount of time people must go without representation as they await the two-round special election cycle to finish. IRV also makes leaders more accountable by encouraging them to run cleaner, more issue-based campaigns, because they are looking to pick up the second rankings from the supporters of other candidates.

Now that it’s passed the Elections Committee, SB 1346 is headed to a hearing later this month in the Senate Appropriations Committee:

Senator Christine Kehoe (Chair)
Senator Dave Cox (Vice-Chair)
Senator Elaine Alquist
Senator Ellen Corbett
Senator Jeff Denham
Senator Mark Leno
Senator Curren Price
Senator Mimi Walters
Senator Lois Wolk
Senator Mark Wyland
Senator Leland Yee

If you live in any of these Senators’ districts (here’s how to find your State Senator), please call them and ask them to support IRV and AB 1346.

There’s a reason why Oakland, San Francisco, Memphis, Berkeley, Minneapolis, Ireland, and Australia have all adopted IRV.  There’s a reason why a bipartisan coalition of leaders including Barack Obama, John McCain, the California Democratic Party, and the Alaska Republican Party support IRV.  There’s a reason why the Utah Republican Party uses IRV.

It’s time to strengthen our democracy and save taxpayer dollars.  It’s time for California to pass SB 1346.