Study: Communities of Color Benefit from IRV
New America Foundation has released a study on Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) and Its Impact on Communities of Color. The study analyzes IRV elections from other American cities, based on previous reports from FairVote, San Francisco State University, Asian Law Caucus and others.
The study shows that racial and ethnic minorities overwhelmingly understand IRV and use ranked ballots effectively. In San Francisco, voter turnout in socio-economically diverse neighborhoods has increased dramatically. The study also analyzes the effectiveness of past IRV educational campaigns and provides pointers for the City of Los Angeles to conduct its own voter outreach.
"Our study shows that communities of color take full advantage of IRV. They not only use ranked ballots effectively, but also turn out in record numbers -- giving them a greater voice in the political process," said Monika Kulma of the New America Foundation "The study shows that IRV will benefit all residents of Los Angeles," she added.
Other IRV resources, such as sample ballots and election demonstrations, can be accessed at http://www.irvinla.org/irv-resources.
