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Instant Runoff Voting
A Timeline to Nowhere?
During the March 2002 election, the folks at the
Center for Voting and Democracy
brought us Prop A, making Instant Runoff Voting the law of the city. The
Call has been following its implementation (3.12.03
Betsey Culp: Elections, The Status of Instant Runoff Voting; 3.14.03
Kevin Shelley on IRV;3.21.03
Herrera
Supports IRV )
"A well-intentioned plan, no doubt," says
Ken Garcia, but one so fraught with technical and logistical problems
that it appears -- if the system can even be introduced -- a winner won't
be chosen before mid-December at considerable cost to the taxpayers."
CVD senior analyst Caleb Kleppner has been keeping tabs on the
implementation process. Kleppner forwards this timeline, which suggests
that the gremlin in the works is not "technical and logistical problems"
but simply human procrastination:
Dramatis personae:
|
Mendelson |
Election Commission President Michael Mendelson,
appointed by District Attorney Terence Hallinan |
|
Stowers |
Election Comissioner Brenda Stowers, appointed by
Treasurer Susan Leal |
|
Arntz |
Department of Elections Acting Director John Arntz |
|
Moll |
Deputy City Attorney Julie Moll |
|
Herrera |
City Attorney Dennis Herrera |
|
CVD |
Center for Voting and Democracy |
|
Hill |
CVD staffperson Steven Hill |
|
ES&S |
San Francisco's current voting equipment vendor, Election Systems
and Software |
|
Taggard |
Joe Taggard, a vice president of ES&S |
|
Eagle |
San Francisco's voting machines, the Optech Eagle [Editor's note
to Ken Garcia: The Eagle is the method currently used by the City of
San Francisco, not a "system of computer touch screens
that was supposed to accompany the new voting procedure (but) has
never been tested."] |
2002
|
March 5 |
Prop A passes with 55% of the vote |
|
May 13 |
Mendelson claims letters have been mailed to Taggard and John
Mott-Smith requesting specifics |
|
June 5 |
Taggard, Mendelson & Stowers and express their desire to
establish overall policy and guidelines |
|
Sept. |
At Mendelson's request, CVD draws up and delivers an implementation
policy |
|
Oct. |
Arntz says ES&S is planning to apply for certification by
the end of the year |
|
Oct. |
Julie Moll says a letter to ES&S went out with deadlines, asking if
that company can and will implement IRV on the Eagles. Otherwise,
the city will have to open the process up to an RFP (Request for
Proposals) |
2003
|
Jan. 1 |
Original date for signing a contract with vendor |
|
Jan. 10 |
Vendor delivers proposal |
|
Jan. 14 |
Mendelson says contract will be signed in 10-14 days [i.e., by
Jan. 28] |
|
Jan. 21 |
First contract negotiating session |
|
Jan. 28 |
Elections Department receives 1st submission from
vendor |
| Feb. 13
|
Mendelson says 10-14 days [i.e., by
Feb. 27] |
| Feb. 19
|
Mendelson says 10-14 days [i.e., by
Mar. 5]. When Hill reminds him that
that’s what he said last week, Mendelson hangs up on Hill, doesn’t speak
again to Hill until April 2 at the Elections Commission meeting. |
| Mar. 4
|
Taggard says the contract will be signed in 2 weeks
[i.e., by Mar. 18] |
| Mar. 5
|
Election Commission meeting: Mendelson
& Arntz say the contract will be signed within two weeks [i.e.,
by Mar. 19] |
| Mar. 7
|
Elections Dept to reply to vendor |
| Mar. 19
|
Elections Commission meeting says "next week"
[i.e., ca. Mar. 26] |
| Mar. 26
|
Taggard says “early April,” with application for
certification in June or July |
| Mar. 31
|
Herrera says “next week” [i.e., ca.
Apr. 2] is realistic |
| Apr. 1
|
Taggard says “likely April 10” |
| Apr. 2
|
Elections Dept. representative,
Jennifer Novak, says “probably next week”; Taggard says end of month
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