John Anderson Backs Instant Runoff Voting

Former congressman John Anderson, who was a candidate for president in 1980, has written this op-ed in the Orlando (Florida) Sentinel advocating the use of instant runoff voting (IRV).

Anderson, a liberal Republican from Illinois, ran unsuccessfully in some GOP presidential primaries in early 1980. He then ran that fall as an independent against the Democratic incumbent, Jimmy Carter, and the Republican nominee, Ronald Reagan.

Carter refused to participate in any debate which included Anderson, so Reagan and Anderson debated each other one-on-one. They were familiar with one another, since they had taken part in the primary debates with the other Republican candidates earlier in the year. Anderson, who always sounded like a preacher to me, was pro-choice on abortion, while Reagan made it clear that he was pro-life. One thing that Anderson proposed was "saving" Social Security with a 50-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax; he noted that people would get their money back. Reagan asked, "Why take it from them in the first place?"

Carter finally agreed to debate Reagan shortly before the election. The president continually hurled accusations at the former California governor, who delivered one of the greatest put-down lines in history: "There you go again." In his closing statement, Reagan looked into the camera and asked, "Are you better off today than you were four years ago?" On the following Tuesday, Reagan crushed Carter in a 44-state landslide. If memory serves me right, Anderson's candidacy cost Carter several states.

In the ensuing years, Anderson researched the possibility of starting a new party as a vehicle for another presidential candidacy, but he has never run for office again.

Thanks to Ballot Access News for the link.