By James Nord, 11/03/2009

Instant-runoff voting, approved by a 2006 referendum, debuted in Minneapolis while St. Paul voted to implement the system.

The implementation of an instant-runoff voting system in Minneapolis had little effect on the municipal elections.

Voter turnout was “light-to-typical,” interim Minneapolis Elections Director Pat O’Connor said. A small number of students were turned away at the University Lutheran Church of Hope on 13th Avenue for not having proper identification, but few problems were reported otherwise.

There were mixed opinions about the effectiveness of instant-runoff voting.

“I think it would be cheaper to buy the machine than to pay the person who has to sit there and count all those hours,” resident Emily Quinlan said.

However, O’Connor said that the cost would be similar to a traditional election.

“I definitely support [IRV] and I think it’ll be nationwide in four years,” Marcy-Holmes resident William Wells said. “It’s a guess.”

In St. Paul, voters decided to follow in the footsteps of Minneapolis, passing a plan to implement the system by a slim margin.

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