Posted on 11/09/2010 12:44:22 PM PST by SmithL
Throughout the campaign, candidate Don Perata said that he didn't understand the ranked-choice voting system being used for the first time in the Oakland mayor's race.
Unfortunately for the former state senator, his two closest rivals in the race understood Alameda County's new voting system well enough to turn a near-certain victory for Perata into a possible defeat.
Because if voter trends hold until the final count, it is likely that City Councilwoman Jean Quan will become Oakland's 46th mayor in January.
On Tuesday, Quan held a news conference and said she remained cautiously optimistic but acknowledged the race was still too close to call. In preparation for a possible win, she said she will soon assemble a transition team.
As a synonymous pairing, Quan and Rebecca Kaplan, a city councilwoman who finished third, were better candidates than Perata was alone. And there were no political consultants who understood the depth of voter resentment toward Perata, an old-school machine politician and go-to political fundraiser for the state Democratic Party.
When the final votes are tallied, Oakland residents may wind up with the mayoral candidate who received less first-place votes than her closest rival, but tallied more second-place votes than anyone has seen before, to become the city's next mayor.
The transfer of votes in such bulk is unprecedented in the history of ranked-choice voting in the nation, political experts said. No one saw this coming.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
There were 10 candidates on the ballot for Oakland Mayor, and you voted for the top three. Everybody with half a brain saw this coming from a mile away.
I remember that rat from when I lived in the bay area, when he tried to get Trader’s Guns owners indicted for selling
‘crime guns’.
Pity all the CA gun laws will be around now for another
4 years (unless a miracle happens).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.