Who opposes IRV?
Criticisms come mainly from two small groups – election officials and advocates of other alternative election methods. Election officials are understandably cautious about a system that they are unfamiliar with, and some incumbents fear any change to the system that elected them. If you can win an election under a plurality or runoff system, however, the odds are that you would also win under IRV. The exceptions are rare but can be important. Examples include several House races in New Mexico, where Green and Democratic Party candidates split liberal support bases, throwing races to Republicans, and state legislative races in Alaska in which Libertarians and Alaskan Independent Party candidates knocked off Republicans.
