Negative Campaigning
John Russo, Oakland City Attorney, argued in the Oakland Tribune on 24 July 2006 that "Instant runoff voting is an antidote to the disease of negative campaigning. IRV led to San Francisco candidates campaigning more cooperatively. Under the system, their candidates were less likely to engage in negative campaigning because such tactics would risk alienating the voters who support 'attacked' candidates", reducing the chance that they would support the attacker as a second or third choice.
No formal studies have been conducted in the United States. Internationally, Benjamin Reilly suggests instant runoff voting eases ethnic conflict in divided societies. This feature was a leading argument for why Papua New Guinea adopted instant runoff voting.
Critics allege there is a lack of evidence that such an effect occurs as often as suggested. Indeed, Lord Alexander's objections to the conclusions of the British Independent Commission on the Voting System's report cites the example of Australia saying "their politicians tend to be, if anything, more blunt and outspoken than our own."
Read more about this topic: Instant-runoff Voting
Famous quotes containing the word negative:
“The negative cautions of science are never popular. If the experimentalist would not commit himself, the social philosopher, the preacher, and the pedagogue tried the harder to give a short- cut answer.”
—Margaret Mead (1901–1978)