The First Charter of Human Rights, By The Persian Emperor
Kourosh The Great Over 2700 Years Ago

"Power Corrupts, Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely"

Instant Run-Off Voting

What Is Instant Run-Off Voting - By Bahram Maskanian

Instant Run-Off Voting is a winner-take-all, constitutionally protected, voting system that ensures a winning candidate will receive an absolute majority of votes rather than a simple plurality. Instant Run-Off Voting eliminates the need for runoff elections by allowing voters to rank their candidates in order of preference.

Instant Run-Off Voting is not a form of full or proportional representation although the Choice Voting method of full representation relies on a similar method of casting and counting ballots.

Our current voting system in the United States, it is an extremely undemocratic system, because it forces voters to pick one candidate amongst many candidates. This prevents the voter from actually expressing his or her opinion because forced to choose only one of the many candidates. If his or her selection does not win, the vote is wasted. Often times, the voter is forced to vote as a way to prevent a candidate from winning, and thus generally voting for a second-best selection instead of for the candidate who truly represents his or her politics. All because of the one vote, one candidate system of Choice Voting method.

Choosing between many candidates and voting for just one robs the voters from the ability and the chance to fully express their opinion. Instant Run-Off Voting is the only truly democratic manner of voting in a democracy in which the voters select their favorite candidates in ranking order. When in the voting booth, the voter ranks all of the candidates in order of preference, first, second, third and so on. The voter is presented with a few potential choices and he or she will then rank them in order of his or her preferences among the candidates. It is as easy as one, two, three, for voters to rank their preferences.

Counting the ballots is equally as easy because you count first preference votes. If anybody got a majority of the first preference votes, that candidate is elected. It is a majority rule system. However, if nobody gets the majority, you eliminate the lowest ranking candidate because he or she has the least amount of votes and thus the least support with no chance of getting elected.

Instant Run-Off Voting will not create the feeling of quote, - - wasting one’s vote - - for the participating public because they will have the ability to influence their run-off preferences by indicating their second preference candidate. Votes are then transferred to second preference to get a majority.

Instant Run-Off Voting is a super easy voting system used all over the world.

Instant Run-Off Voting is used in the United States:

Instant Run-Off Voting is used in local elections in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Instant Run-Off Voting is been used in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Instant Run-Off Voting will be used in San Francisco.

Instant Run-Off Voting is used by college football for the Heisman trophy and in major league baseball for selecting the M.V.P, Most Valuable Player.

Instant Run-Off Voting is used by the Academy Awards.

Instant Run-Off Voting is used also by the Political Science Association.

Instant Run-Off Voting is used by the Utah Republican Party to elect officers and nominate candidates.

Instant Run-Off Voting is not a Left-Wing solution. It is not a Right-Wing solution. It is a right and good solution for electing true government by the people for the people through a decent democratic system of voting.

Instant Run-Off Voting is the only solution that will work and is working.

I urge everybody who is disgusted with our voting system and does not want to continue voting for the lesser of two (2) evils by being forced to vote against what you hate for someone you hate less rather than voting with your conscience, to do the following.

Join the wide spread movement of concerned Americans and support Instant Run-Off Voting. Write to your government representatives and demand for legislation replacing our current system with the Instant Run-Off Voting system.

Instant Run-Off Voting Factsheet