ELECTION: Majority vote is needed

Jose Christian Tayler raises an important point in his Jan. 21 letter to The Press. The recent mayoral election highlights a fundamental flaw in Coeur d’Alene’s democratic process. According to voteidaho.gov, 9,550 voters cast ballots. Of those, 3,265 voted for Gookin, while 6,285 — nearly two-thirds of voters — cast their ballots for someone else. Despite 65% of voters preferring a different candidate, Gookin won with just 34.2% of the vote.

The full vote breakdown was: Gookin 3,265; Loffman 2,674; McEvers 2,527; and Pulsifer 1,084.

Democratic legitimacy rests on majority support. For most executive offices in Idaho, if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election is held between the top two finishers to ensure the winner has majority backing. Most Idaho cities apply this standard to mayoral elections. Coeur d’Alene is a notable exception, using a plurality — or “first-past-the-post” — system.

Given the clear preference of voters for someone other than Gookin, a runoff election could easily have produced a different outcome. I strongly urge the Coeur d’Alene City Council to adopt a majority-vote requirement for the mayor’s seat.

TODD HOFFMAN

Coeur d’Alene