New Report Shows Instant Runoff Voting Saves Money and Boosts Voter Turnout

Media Contact
Liz Wu
California Media Relations Manager
510-295-9859
wu@newamerica.net

Sacramento, CA -  The New America Foundation's Political Reform Program today announced the release of a study which found that Instant Runoff Voting could save the city of San Jose money and boost voter turnout for local elections. The report can be found on-line at http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/instant_runoff_voting_city_san_jose.

"San Jose's current two-round runoff system is expensive and results in very few voters actually participating in local elections," said Blair Bobier, Deputy Director of the Political Reform Program. "Instant Runoff Voting could significantly increase voter turnout in San Jose and save the city millions of dollars."

Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) allows voters to rank their first, second and third choices among candidates on the ballot, instead of voting for just one.  IRV uses the voters' rankings to elect candidates with majority support in a single election, eliminating the need for a separate runoff election.

The San Jose Elections Commission had IRV on their agenda for May and will revisit the subject at their June 10 meeting.

On Thursday, June 11, New America Foundation and Common Cause will sponsor a public forum on IRV featuring San Jose city councilors Ash Kalra and Sam Liccardo, along with representatives from the League of Women Voters and Californians for Electoral Reform. The free public event will be held from Noon to 1:15 p.m., in room 225 of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Public Library in San Jose.

About the New America Foundation
The New America Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy institute that invests in new thinkers and new ideas to address the next generation of challenges facing the United States.

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Learn More About: Blair Bobier
Related Programs: New America in California, Instant Runoff Voting, Political Reform Program
Topics: Political Reform