Greensboro News and Record Editor Doug Clark writes about the impact of instant runoff voting on contest for Court of Appeals and the consequences. Emphasis in bold is mine:
Lucky 13
That's the number of candidates in the running for the N.C. Court of Appeals seatthat will be filled in a special election in November.
Only one will turn out to be the lucky winner.
And most likely it will come down to a matter of luck. Voters won't be able to chooseintelligently among so many candidates, especially when this race will be overshadowed by political contests.
Even more so because the state will employ a goofy instant runoff system for this one election. I'll be writing more about that. Just believe it's going to be convoluted and confusing.
I think it's fair to say there's a wide variance in experience and qualifications among these candidates. Will most voters see that? I hope so, but I'm not optimistic.
It's interesting to note that far fewer candidates chose to run in the regular elections for appellate court seats. In fact, one sitting judge is unopposed.
Why so many in this one? Because getting elected will be like rolling a winning number in a dice game. You don't have to be good, only lucky, to land an eight-year term in a big job.
Here's the field:
BLOSS, JOHN F, GREENSBORO
CASTEEN, JOHN WESLEY JR, WILMINGTON
DILLON, ROBERT CHRISTOPHER, RALEIGH
FARLOW, JEWEL ANN, GREENSBORO
GARNER, DANIEL E., WAKE FOREST
HAMMER, STANLEY F., GREENSBORO
KLASS, MARK E., LEXINGTON
MCCULLOUGH, JOHN DOUGLAS, ATLANTIC BEACH
MIDDLETON, ANNE, RALEIGH
PAYNE, HARRY E JR., RALEIGH
SULLIVAN, JOHN C., RALEIGH
THIGPEN, CRESSIE, RALEIGH
VESPER, PAMELA M., RALEIGH
http://www.news-record.com/blog/54431/entry/97944
IRV Mechanics v law update: So far, we hear that the NC State Board of Elections will NOT allow the use of the infamous "excel spreadsheet workaround'. It is now deemed an illegal work around, so maybe we can get Hendersonville to stop using it. Also it appears SBOE will follow our recommendations to canvas all votes before tallying second round. There are still laws that will be broken, esp about what a paper ballot is for DRE counties, but even if this goes to court, I believe everyone will throw up their hands and say "there's no way to do this that doesn't conflict somehow....". At least the worst, the "workaround" is off the table.
About us: The North Carolina Coalition for Verified Voting is a grassroots non-partisan organization fighting for clean and verified elections. We study and research the issue of voting to ensure the dignity and integrity of the intention of each voting citizen. The NC Voter Verified Coalition has consistently fought for increasing access, participation and ensuring the voter franchise. Contact Joyce McCloy, Director, N.C. Coalition for Verifiable Voting - phone 336-794-1240 website www.ncvoter.net
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