these municipalities were under way before a lawsuit was filed
challenging the voting method in San Francisco. But the recent judge's
decision rejecting the San Francisco suit doesn't hurt, according to
an East Bay election official.
"I think the plan was to move forward all along," says Alameda County Registrar of Voters Dave McDonald. (The county runs elections in all three of the cities where RCV will be making its debut.) Of the court decision, he said, "Certainly that helps. I don't think that anybody, at least at the county or state level, thought that the lawsuit would prevail. We're pretty confident."
Failed supervisorial candidate Ron
Dudum filed the lawsuit against RCV in San Francisco, asserting it
was unconstitutional because it limited voters to only three choices of
candidate. However, earlier this month, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Seeborg issued a decision rejecting the legal challenge.
Seeborg asserted that though "a limitation to no more than three preferences in a large field of candidates does exert some burden on voting rights, it is not severe," and that "important government interests are well-served by the limitation."
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