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Voting change would create 'instant runoff' Cost, process hurdles face 'second-choice' election By DANI DODGE Mail Tribune Buoyed by passage of instant runoff voting in San Francisco, local Green Party members are pushing for a similar Oregon initiative that would allow people to vote for more than one candidate in an election. "Typically we are given a choice of the lesser of two evils instead of the better of two people," said George Hutchinson, a Green Party member from Medford. "That's why so many people don't vote. ... But this way at least you can find someone you like, vote for them, and then you can give your second or third choices." Used in Australia, Ireland and Great Britain, instant runoff voting (IRV) ensures candidates win single-seat offices with majority support. On an IRV ballot, voters indicate both their favorite and runoff choices. If no candidate receives a majority of first choices, the weak candidates are eliminated and their supporters' votes are counted for their runoff choices. The Oregon IRV initiative is one of 31 currently approved to circulate for signatures for the November election. Supporters need 66,786 signatures to get IRV onto the ballot. So far, they've only gathered 4,380, said Fillard Rhyne, a Portland Green Party member who filed the initiative petition along with a Democrat and a Republican. "I feel the San Francisco vote definitely gives us a boost," Rhyne said. "We have gained some credibility because we can say this has passed somewhere else." In San Francisco, instant runoff voting passed Tuesday with 56 percent of the vote. But switching to the new system won't be instantaneous. "I do know there is no system in place for it in the country and there isn't the software necessary to put it in place," said Suzanne Berg, a San Francisco elections department manager. "I have no idea how long it will take ... . It will probably cost multi-mega millions." Jackson County Clerk Kathy Beckett wasn't familiar with the proposal but was concerned about the cost of new equipment and software. She added: "From my standpoint, it sounds like it would be very confusing to the voters initially." Supporters of IRV say it will save money in the long run because it will reduce the number of elections. "If the electoral college were working this wouldn't be coming up," said Becky Hale of Ashland, co-chairwoman of the Jackson County Pacific Green Party. "It's like any business, if they are changing their business tactics, they have to change their software. It's just a business cost that happens." Those who have collected signatures for IRV agree that the concept can be confusing. "It's hard to explain in a one-liner," said Andy Bayliss of Ashland, Jackson County Pacific Green Party co-chairman. "Once they saw what it means, most people thought it was a great idea - people could really vote their conscience and still know if their third-party person isn't elected that their second choice could help sway the election." Richard Burke, the executive director of the state's Libertarian Party agrees that IRV is a great idea, but said it has little chance of winning. "Republicans and Democrats have way too much to lose," Burke said. "If it ever got on the ballot they would spend big money to defeat it." But Hutchinson said IRV does have a chance if people understand the possibilities. He said the confusion in the last presidential race would never have occurred if voters in the country were allowed to make first, second and third choices. In his case, he voted for Ralph Nader, although Al Gore was his second choice. He's tired of hearing from people that his vote got George W. Bush in office - and worse, that his vote didn't count. When asked if this isn't a case of wanting his cake and eating it too, Hutchinson replied with a quote from comedian George Carlin: "What is the point of having cake if you can't eat it?" For more information on IRV, contact the Jackson County Pacific Green Party at 488-6447 or check out pacificgreensjaco.cafeprogressive.com on the Web. Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.