----- Original Message -----

From: Bob Hall

To: Gary Bartlett;cpoucher@co.wake.nc.us;John_Gilbert@ncsu.edu;Johnnie McLean

Sent: 10/11/2007 6:22:02 PM

Subject: Preliminary results from IRV in Cary

 

Folks,

A few additional points I just sent to three reporters at the Cary runoff count today --

** As you know, Wake Co Bd of Elections late this afternoon said the unofficial count in the runoff elections was 1390 for Don Franz and 1362 for Vickie Maxwell.  That's a gap of only 28 and there are still about 40 provisional ballots to count.  It shows the importance of every vote -- for your first choice and your back-up choice!

** That's a total of 2752 votes cast for candidates in the runoff or 92% of the 2997 cast in the unofficial results for first choices -- which means 92% of the voters in the election had a voice in decided who won the runoff, far better than the typical fall off between the election and a later runoff.

** Two thirds of the voters who chose Nels Roseland as their first choice made a back-up choice for one of the candidates in the runoff -- despite the fact that during the campaign he told his supporters to vote for him as their 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice, a confusing message that effectively instructed voters to pick nobody else as a second choice.

** All new things take time, and this method of preference voting is off to a good start -- including providing another lesson that your vote really CAN make a difference!

Cheers,

Bob Hall
Democracy North Carolina
Direct line: 
919-489-1931