Jean Quan Declared Oakland's Mayor

• Joe, No accident that Perata refused to endorse others and lost as did Debra Walker in SF. Only consultants and printers profit with run-offs. I like RCV because I don't have to hold my noise and vote for the "lesser of two evils" until the third time I fill in the blank between the lines. Be honest, how many times have you looked at a list of candidates (before ranked choice) and thought: "Well, I know this guy or gal is the best by far but I also know that if I vote for them that my vote will be wasted because they don't have a chance and so I'll vote for this guy or gal because even though I don't like them at all, they're certainly better than this other knucklehead."? Go Niners! h.

• Yes yes, we agree in essence. But that only first choice votes are counted on election day doesn't mean someone got the most votes. Usually this seems like semantics; not this time. I'm sure I missed the best of SF Weekly's coverage on RCV adventures. Yes a serious question to Yee about RCV might've been silly, but he was asked several times one right after another how he feels about running under RCV and he repeatedly said he "respects the ppl of SF's choice in choosing RCV," or sumsuch, and that was sillier than "Will you endorse other candidates who are running against you?" might've been. (My paper will only care months from now, we're having lunch with him in couple weeks, and I had other things to cover in SF today so just left. But I'll ask him in December.) That SF has done RCV several times around is what's so mystifying. East Bay papers endorsed three candidates because they figured it out the first time around. Love your blog.

• Hey -- I don't think my statement is inaccurate. Only first-place votes are counted on election day. RCV doesn't kick in until candidates are eliminated. And that doesn't happen on Day One. Your statement about "SF Types" not getting RCV doesn't make all that much sense. We've had RCV for six years. This is Oakland's first go-round. You can read our coverage of the RCV adventures in San Francisco Districts 2, 6, 8, and 10. I don't think it makes much sense to ask Leland Yee -- or anyone -- who his seconds or thirds might be a year before the election, when God knows who will still get into the race. Best, JE

• Yo Joe, it's PS from the Korea Times. "While Perata heavily outpolled Quan on election day..." This is an accurate statement only where RCV doesn't apply. Quan outpolled everyone on election day, and that's why she won. Perata got more 1st choice votes. I'm increasingly thinking SF media types don't get RCV. (I'm an Oaklander.) At Leland Yee's announcement today, media was asking him how he felt about RCV and what his chances are. The question should have been: Who are you, or will you, endorse as candidates who will/are running against you, but who you'll tell your supporters to vote for as second or third choices? For expl, if David Chiu runs, usually they could split the Asian Only vote. But under RCV, they could make a pact to ask their supporters to make each other second choices. It's how Quan won. People who would've supported either Quan or Kaplan were voting for the both of them. It's why Oakland mayoral candidate debates always included the question people should've asked Yee today. The other reason I think SF doesn't get it about RCV is the Chronicle's endorsement of only Perata. The Oakland Tribune and East Bay Express both endorsed three candidates. BTW, one of the beauties of RCV is you can simultaneously vote your conscience and make your vote count. Imagine someone who wanted to vote for Dennis Kucinich in a democratic primary, but didn't because he knows the guy doesn't stand a chance. He can make Kucinich his first choice, then HRC his second. The effect this has is to throw Kucinich a bone and still have your vote count for HRC as if she'd been your only vote all along. I know many people who made Quan their second choice knowing that once the RCV computer started, it would essentially be like making her their first choice. She outpolled Perata on election day.

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