Have Third Parties Been “Punked” By Instant Runoff?
Third party members and alot of people have just been seriously punked by Instant Runoff Voting. It may take them a few years to figure it out, but it will be too late then. IRV hurts third parties and solidifies two party domination. Just look at the history of IRV in real life: In the US, IRV produces the same results of a winner take all election. In every single IRV election held in the U.S.,all thirty-two, the winner of the election has been the candidate who got the most votes in the first round, i.e., the first preference of more voters than any other. In San Francisco, elections have many, many candidates and thus majority failure in the first round is common. In no case did the vote transfers change the preference order affecting the top two candidates in the first round; i.e., the leader in the first round won the election, and the runner-up in the first round remained the runner-up. This, then, can be expected generally in IRV elections. Australian experience with IRV shows
