What's New at F-IRV

• September 11, 2004 - On August 9, 2004, the Ferndale City Council voted to place Instant Runoff Voting on the November 2, 2004 ballot. Ferndale's citizens will now have the opportunity to choose IRV as their future method of electing the Mayor and City Council. If the measure passes, the change would take place as soon as equipment becomes available in Michigan to carry out the procedure and is purchased and approved the Ferndale Election Commission. This has led to a great deal of new press coverage for election reform and Instant Runoff Voting. Ferndale for Instant Runoff Voting is now hard at work campaigning to pass the measure with phone banking and literature drops at the homes of local residents. We need all the help we can get to reach every voter in Ferndale by election day. Please support us and attend our upcoming events!
  
  
• June 12, 2004 - On June 4, 2004, Ferndale For Instant Runoff Voting formally requested that the Ferndale City Council place a proposal on the November 2004 ballot to amend to the city's charter, implementing Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) in future mayoral elections. F-IRV provided Ferndale's City Council, City Clerk, City Attorney and City Manager with a formal request letter, documents discussing the cost and feasibility of implementing the system, as well as suggested amendment, ballot question and summary language drafted in conjunction with national election reform experts from the Center for Voting and Democracy. The Council will begin its consideration of this measure at their bi-weekly meeting on Monday, June 14, 2004 at 7:30 at City Hall, 300 East 9 Mile in Ferndale. Read more in our latest press release on this matter.
  
  
• February 22, 2004 - In the wake of Ralph Nader's decision to run for president, the "spoiler" issue and the necessity for Instant Runoff Voting once again take center stage. We have issued a press release to many Michigan media outlets explaining the crucial need for Instant Runoff Voting in order to eliminate the "spoiler" problem from our democracy.
  
  
• February 12, 2004 - After 4 weeks of great articles about Instant Runoff Voting and Ferndale for Instant Runoff Voting, run in conjunction with an ice cream flavor IRV mock election, The Mirror has published the election results. F-IRV has also posted a much more in-depth analysis of the mock election, complete with explanation of its methodology, results, full details of the counting process, and an analysis.
  
  
• January 9, 2004 - F-IRV members met with the editorial board of the weekly newspaper, The Mirror. The Mirror has a circulation of about 72,000 throughout several cities in the Metro Detroit area. They will be running a story on a different aspect of Instant Runoff Voting and F-IRV in each of the next four issues beginning next week. In addition, they will be including a ballot that will allow readers to use IRV to vote on their favorite flavor of ice cream in each of these next four editions. At the end of the four weeks, the results will be published and further events may be held to discuss readers' experiences.
  
  
• January 8, 2004 - F-IRV members held a meeting, well publicized in the Metro Times and the Detroit Free Press (click link and scroll down to second story), at the Royal Oak Public Library. There we discussed the movement to bring Instant Runoff Voting to Ferndale and other cities throughout Michigan, and explored election reform and the process of successful ballot initiatives. The meeting was attended by reformers from throughout Metropolitan Detroit, as well as one guest in town from Australia.