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COLEMAN CALLS FOR INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
Green Party Gubernatorial candidate Jerry L. Coleman today
called for the implementation of instant runoff voting (IRV) in
New Jersey. He will support a State Constitutional
Amendment to allow this to happen.
"Third-party candidates like myself should be able to
run for office without being labeled spoilers," Coleman
said today, "and those holding office ought to be able to
claim they have the support of a majority of voters. Instant
runoff elections will permit both changes to occur."
Coleman pointed out that both Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon won
presidential races with less than 45% of the popular vote.
In 1994, three governors won with less than 38% of the vote.
"When such powerful positions can be had with such low
percentages, there can be no guarantee of majority democratic
rule" Mr. Coleman said.
In an address to campaign supporters after the primary
election, Mr. Coleman pointed out that IRV, which has been ruled
to be constitutional, will guarantee majority winners in a
single election, will save taxpayers the expense of a second election
and will eliminate the problem of so-called "spoiler"
candidates swinging an election... a charge often leveled at
Ralph Nader in last year's Presidential election... and a charge
which is now being leveled at the Coleman campaign by McGreevy
supporters.
Instant runoffs work like two-round runoffs but everything
happens in one election! A voter ranks his or her choices
in order of preference. If one candidate obtains a
majority of first choices after a first count, he or she
wins. If a voters favored candidate doesn't make the
second round of counting he or she is eliminated and the voters
other choices may be considered. Instant runoff voting is used
today to select, for example, the Mayor of London, the
Australian House of Representatives and the President of
Ireland.
Green Party of the United States Platform:
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The Green Party, proposes a
COMPREHENSIVE POLITICAL REFORM AGENDA calling for real
reform, accountability, and responsiveness in government.
- We believe in MAJORITY RULE. Accordingly, we call
for the use of INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING in chief executive
races (mayor, governor, president, etc.) where voters can
rank their favorite candidates (1,2,3, etc.) to guarantee
that the winner has majority support and that voters aren't
relegated to choosing between the "lesser of two
evils."
- The Electoral College is an 18th century
anachronism. We call for a constitutional amendment
abolishing the Electoral College and providing for the
direct election of the president by Instant Runoff
Voting. Until that time, we call for a proportional
allocation of delegates in state primaries."
- Political debate, public policy, and legislation should be
judged on its merits, not on the quid pro quo of political
barter and money.
- We propose comprehensive CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM,
including caps on spending and contributions, at the
national and state level, and/or full public financing of
elections” to remove undue influence in political
campaigns.
- We will work to ban or greatly limit POLITICAL ACTION
COMMITTEES and restrict SOFT MONEY contributions.
- We support significant lobbying regulation, strict rules
that disclose the extent of political lobbying via
“gifts” and contributions. Broad-based reforms of
government operations, with congressional reorganization and
ETHICS LAWS, must be instituted. At every level of
government, we support “Sunshine Laws” that open up the
political system to access by ordinary citizens.
- We recognize individual empowerment, full citizen
participation, and PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION as the
foundation of an effective and PLURALISTIC democracy."
- We demand choices in our political system. This can be
accomplished by proportional representation voting systems
such as: 1) Choice Voting (which is candidate-based) 2)
Mixed Member Voting (which combines with district
representation) ; and/or 3) Party List (which is party
based), and semi-proportional voting systems such as: 1)
Limited Voting and 2) Cumulative Voting. All are used
throughout the free world and by U.S. businesses, and
community and non-profit groups to increase democratic
representation. We call on local governments to lead the way
toward more electoral choice and broader representation.
- We believe in MULTI-PARTY DEMOCRACY (for partisan
elections) as the best way to guarantee majority rule, since
more people will have representation at the table where
policy is enacted.
- We encourage building alternative, grassroots institutions
that support participatory and direct democracy at the local
level. Political reform goes beyond elected politics,
ultimately residing in choices each of us makes in our own
lives.
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