Instant Runoff Elections for 3 Superior Court Seats

In addition to participating in the historic statewide Court of Appeals election, voters in Buncombe, Cumberland and Rowan Counties used Instant Runoff Voting to elect Superior Court judges in November 2010. The races each featured three candidates competing for one seat. In the Buncombe and Rowan County races, one candidate won a majority of the vote in the first round of counting, winning the election without the need for an instant runoff.

In the Cumberland County race, votes were split among three candidates in the first round of counting. Under the old plurality method of electing judges to fill vacancies, one candidate would have won with just 36% of the vote. This year, voters' second and third choices were counted in an instant runoff tally, ensuring that the winning candidate was the one preferred by more voters. After the completion of the instant runoff, Claire Hill won the election with 51% of the final-round vote. FairVote's analysis of the election is available here.

See results for each of the counties:

 

IRV in Action

Under state law passed in 2006, IRV must be used in judicial elections when there is not enough time to hold a separate primary before the general election. In these situations, IRV helps to accommodate voter choice by condensing the primary and general elections into a single contest: voters get the opportunity to pick their 1st choice, just as they would in a primary election, and then pick their 2nd and 3rd choices in case their 1st does not advance to the final round. IRV accomplishes this goal at a fraction of the cost that would be required to hold two separate primary and general elections for the seat, making it a cost-effective way of conducting elections for the Superior Court.

 

 Local Resources

 

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