[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: A Cure Worse Than the Disease

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
A Cure Worse Than the Disease
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1227659725.shtml


   Minneapolis Star Tribune columnist Nick Coleman says Instant Runoff
   Voting (IRV) would have "cleaned up" the U.S. Senate Race weeks ago.
   This is ridiculous on its face.
   Let's first look at the current situation, a very close race that yes,
   may not get resolved for still more weeks. Given the stakes, the
   losing side will likely claim that a great injustice was done. Really?
   Elections are obviously much more precise than polls, but are not
   perfectly so, especially in major contests like here, with millions of
   votes cast. Every recount will likely produce a slightly different
   outcome. When the margin of victory is on the order of the margin of
   error, God only knows who truly won. The losing side should maturely
   accept the outcome, barring a credible reason to do another count.
   About the same number will be pleased as disappointed and there is no
   injustice either way. Even with IRV, that reality remains. Except that
   IRV could make things far worse, for IRV would often deny the
   candidate with the most votes the victory. That would be an injustice,
   no longer a contest of one man, one vote. Elections would soon be
   engineered with shadow candidates to deliberately take advantage of
   this new non-linearity.
   Imagine what the DFL would say if Franken had won by say, 45-43 only
   to have Barkley's 12 points divided up by IRV to give Coleman a 51-49
   win? They would not go quietly, and they'd have the moral high ground
   were it not for their role in enacting IRV.
   I am concerned for the spoiler role that third parties are too often
   playing. The clear answer to me, if one is needed, is to resolve this
   in a true Primary in September, the top two moving on to the General
   in November. In Minneapolis, that might mean two Democrats or a
   Democrat vs a Green. Elsewhere, it might mean two Republicans, one a
   Ron Paul follower. But it preserves one man, one vote.