(Federal) Suit challenges San Francisco election practice

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by John Coté
San Francisco Chronicle
February 5, 2010

A former candidate for city supervisor sued San Francisco election officials in federal court on Thursday, alleging the city's novel ranked-choice voting system is unconstitutional.

Ron Dudum, a small-business owner who lost to now-disgraced former Supervisor Ed Jew in 2006, contends the city's system violates the Constitution by denying thousands of voters a voice in elections and allows candidates to win without getting a majority of the vote.

The lawsuit Dudum and five other San Francisco residents filed in U.S. District Court asks a judge to immediately halt the instant runoff system that's been in place since 2004 to elect a mayor, supervisors, the district attorney and other officeholders.

"The system that is on the books ... disenfranchises voters," Dudum said by phone. "It needs to be thrown out."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/05/BAE61BSTH8.DTL