Coalition for Instant Runoff Voting in Florida

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1. Why should we change from Plurality Voting to Instant Runoff Voting (IRV)?
The current system of voting is called plurality voting here in Florida and is written in the Florida Constitution. Unlike IRV that requires a majority to win and be elected, plurality creates a situation where someone can win an election without majority support*. For instance, if there are 3 or more candidates in a race, and if the vote is split evenly (33%, 33%, and 34%), it is easy to see how someone who is only supported by 1/3 of the population can be elected with plurality voting. With more than 3 candidates, the amount prospectively needed to win becomes even smaller. IRV ensures that the person who wins has a majority and ensures the person elected has a 50% + one vote support of the voters. When you have more than two groups lobbying for the same votes, the opposing candidate wins by splitting the conservative or liberal population’s vote.

2. Who benefits from IRV?
Everyone. In a state of millions of people (12,385,031 Voting Aged Persons), it is hard to imagine we can all be divided up into just two categories. Each of us has unique viewpoints, goals, ideas, beliefs, and issues that are important to us. But when you look at our options in elections, you are generally given just two choices. Many people in Florida don’t support being limited to only two options and feel we need more diversity. America is not black and white, we have gray, and brown, and red, and yellow. Our government should represent that diversity more than it has been. In fact, there were exactly 1,519,398 people registered to vote with either ‘no party affiliation Eor a minor party in the 2000 election (15.4% of registered voters.) By implementing IRV, elections would be capable of accommodating more than 2 candidates in each race. IRV could potentially increase voter interest and reduce apathy by allowing more diversity and preventing candidates from being elected without majority support. Of the 1.5 million who do not identify with the two major parties, 165,967 are listed as minor party affiliates and 1,353,431 are listed as 'no party affiliation.'

Registration Statistics available here:
http://election.dos.state.fl.us/pdf/2000voterreg/2000genptyrace.pdf

According to Florida’s registration statistics, there is a likely a large minority of the Florida voting population that feels they are not being adequately represented with just two options anymore. By opening the elections to more viewpoints, IRV could potentially make more people interested in election participation.

3. How would IRV increase voter turnout?
It gives people a reason to vote. In the 2000 general election, only 57.3% of eligible voters cast a vote at the polls, a slight majority, according to the George Mason University United States Election Project. The eligible voting population of Florida totals 10,707,136. While 6,138,765 people showed up to vote in the 2000 general election, only 5,963,110 actually cast a vote for president. In 2000, there were 8,752,717 registered voters in Florida. That means that 2,625,815 people who were registered to vote did not vote. Only 70% of the registered voters voted in the 2,000 elections. Could they not find a reason to vote in our presidential election? With Instant Runoff Voting, it doesn't matter how many run. The winner still must have a majority to win. More diversity, more representative. Everybody wins.

Citations:

In the 2000 Presidential election, there were 2,625,815 Florida registered voters who did not vote. There were at least 1,358,738 people who were eligible to vote but did not register. Ultimately, this means that there were 3,984,553 people who did not participate in our elections here in Florida who are not expressing their views in our political system, for whatever reason. There were only 2 more million ballots cast in the 2,000 presidential elelection. If these 4 million voted they could elect their own leader with a solid vote for one person.

4. Why haven't I heard of IRV before?
Instant Runoff Voting is already in use in Ireland, Australia, San Francisco, Burlington (VT), Cambridge, Ferndale (MI), Cary (NC), Tamoka Park (MD), and London (for their mayoral race.) However, election turnouts for Australia would not produce comparative data because voting in Australia is compulsory. The League of Women Voters in Vermont, in California, Minnesota, Florida, North Carolina, and in Washington have all studied and endorsed Instant Runoff Voting. Fairvote has endorsed and educated surrounding this issue for years.

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