Hey Chris,

Thanks for your emails on the Exec race.

You're right. Our current system does a poor job reflecting the multitude of political opinions in our politics. Makes you wish we had a proportional representation system sometimes ... although occasionally, it seems like we might be better served by deciding our elections like these guys (OMG, I can't actually believe there's a World Champion at Rock, Paper, Scissors...read it and be, nonplussed!). But I think I've got a better way than IR (though not quite as good as PR, but in this democracy, we've got to take baby steps).

It's called Fusion Voting. Basically, it "registers" the hard work of parties that aren't Democrats and Republicans at the ballot box while preventing "spoiler" situations like Ralph Nader in 2000. For example, Ron Sims could also register with the "Green Party" label. Then, any votes he accumulates under that label go to him. Say he wins by a few points, and the Greens make the difference. Instant recognition of Green as a force in our County, and the opportunity for countless smaller parties to "represent."

It's already law in New York. We could run a statewide measure to make it law. Or just keep voting for Green candidates that get a few percentage points at the expense of Ron. You know Irons won't be supporting any kind of growth management ... but I can't tell you how to vote. I could only point a finger if Ron lost by a few.

-Ian