(Liberally excerpted Sam Smith’s Undernews blog.)
Instant runoff voting is recommended in Robert Rule’s of Order and is used by the American Political Science Association to elect its president. The Academy of Motion Pictures uses a variation of it in nominations for the Oscars. In recent years, instant runoff voting has made rapid advances across the country, having won at the ballot in states such as California, Michigan and Washington. After a landslide vote in March, voters in Burlington, Vermont will use IRV to elect their major representatives starting in 2006. Voters in San Francisco gave IRV high marks after using it for the first time to elect their Board of Supervisors this past November. All overseas military voters from Arkansas will cast IRV ballots in upcoming runoffs. Additionally, IRV has garnered the support of groups such as the League of Women Voters, the Grange, and individuals such as Sen. John McCain, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. and DNC Chairman Howard Dean.