Three years ago, Oakland residents voted overwhelmingly to approve a new election system called "Instant Runoff Voting," which could increase the political influence of local minority groups. Oakland expects state approval of IRV in January -- but meanwhile, some politicians contend that the city is not ready.

Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) -- also called Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) -- gives voters the option to rank their first, second, and third choice of candidates in elections for public office. If none of the candidates win more than 50% of the vote, second and third choice votes are tallied. This eliminates the need for costly runoff election.

IRV also might reduce the need for a primary election, which is typically held in June when voter turnout is low. Proponents say IRV saves money: a primary election can cost as much as $1 million, according to Alameda County Registrar Dave MacDonald. IRV is also thought to help new candidates, rather than incumbents, and to increase minority voter participation.

"The bottom line is that young people, minorities and immigrants don't tend to vote as much in the primaries," said City Councilwoman Jean Quan, a candidate for mayor of Oakland in 2010.

Quan says that IRV improves representation of minority groups, and points out that the number Asian Americans on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors increased after that city switched to IRV. Quan also acknowledges that IRV would probably help her in a mayoral race against former Calif. Sen. Don Perata, who has better financing and recognition.

The movement to switch Oakland to IRV elections was supported by over 60% of voters and dozens of community organizations including the League of Women Voters, Oakland IRV Implementation Group, Chinese American Citizens Alliance, Spanish Speaking Citizens Foundation, East Bay Gray Panthers, East Bay Libertarian Party, and many others.

However: Before Oakland can use IRV in an election, Calif. Secretary of State Debra Bowen must approve Oakland's system.

Last month, Oakland Vice Mayor Ignacio De La Fuente wrote the following letter to Bowen urging her not to approve IRV in Oakland "until its outreach and education plan has been vetted by our community, particularly those groups representing historically disenfranchised voters."

De La Feuente URV letter 091021

"It would be irresponsible for the State to approve RVC without proof that sufficient resources have been allocated to conduct the required outreach and education," De La Fuente said in the letter dated Oct. 21.

Similarly, Perata sent a letter indicating that Oakland is not ready for IRV. Some in Oakland speculated that the delay over approval was the result of political maneuvering.

"They're making some claims that are, to be charitable, misleading," said Judy Cox, member of the League of Women Voters and co-founder of the IRV effort. "[De La Fuente is] saying that Oakland cannot afford the voter education money to do it, but he's conveniently forgetting the estimates that have been made on how much the city can save when it avoids the runoff election."

MacDonald says the county has extensive education plans and is partnering with community organizations to teach voters. Bowen indicated her likely approval of Oakland's outreach plans in a Nov. 19 reply letter to De La Fuente obtained by Oakland Local.

Bowen Reply 091119

Bowen wrote: "I agree that an effective voter outreach and education program is vital for a successful [instant runoff voting] election. ...I was very impressed by the quality of work the county and each of the three cities had done in developing their plans, which is not surprising especially in the case of Oakland, given that it has had more than three years to develop an implementation plan since [IRV] was approved by voters in 2006."

Bowen's communications director Nicole Wagner further put to rest uncertainty about the delay, saying that San Francisco had reported malfunctions with its voting software, and that those issues needed to be resolved before Oakland's similar software system could be approved.

"Secretary Bowen has long indicated that the hope is to finish testing and have an answer by the end of this year," Wagner said.

Cox, however, was skeptical about the motives behind Perata and De La Fuente's letters. "It's one thing if you oppose something and have real arguments that are based in the truth," Cox said. "But if you oppose something and you have arguments that aren't true, that's playing dirty."

LEARN MORE ABOUT INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING IN OAKLAND:

Just across the bay, San Francisco has been using IRV in municipal elections for a few years. San Francisco Dept. of Elections info. Also, the San Francisco Election Commission uses interactive graphics to explain IRV

Learn more about Oakland elections from the Alameda Country Registrar of Voters and the League of Women Voters of Oakland.

The California Instant Runoff Voting Coalition offers a sample IRV ballot and more information.

More views on IRV in Oakland:

• Oct. 28: East Bay Express writer Robert Gammon contended that mayoral candidate Don Perata's opposition to IRV is part of an "effort to force Jean Quan out of the Oakland mayor's race."
• Nov. 5: Oakland blogger Becks posted: What's going on with instant runoff voting? Registrar Dave MacDonald explains... sort of
• Nov. 18: In an Oakland Tribune op-ed, local IRV activists Judy Cox and Anne Spanier explained why, in their view, it's Time to implement Instant Runoff Voting in Oakland and Berkeley