Except for a few ward leaders with family or other ties to Boykins, African American voters seem to be joining forces behind El-Amin. Even in two north side wards where committee people have endorsed Boykins (18 and 26), the alderman has endorsed El-Amin.

Gambaro can't win, but he could draw enough votes away from Jeff Smith to hand the election to El-Amin. (And if Smith wins, African Americans may well blame Boykins and Jones.)

Instant runoff voting would allow voters to vote for whoever they really prefer, in rank order, without having to worry about who's ahead or behind, or having to settle for a lesser evil. IRV isn't just about third parties; it works just as well in primaries. Now if we only had legislators who would enact IRV.

I come to a slightly different opinion looking at the same facts.

Rep. El-Amin's image problems outweigh any support she has received, even in north city. She is too unapproachable and on the wrong side of social issues. She has little play in north city, and no play in south city.

I would agree that Mr. Gambaro can't win. He has no play in north city, and half of south city. He doesn't understand the voters or their needs or desires.

Rep. Boykins continues to hurt herself ignoring her south city constituents and belittling her north city constituents. She has ok play in north city, and little play in south city.

Jeff Smith's got game. He has play in both north and south city, as he understands the voters, their needs, and their desires. He is one of them, and the voters know that. He is the only candidate that appeals to all groups of voters, except the Republicans pulling a Democratic ticket to vote for Derio Gambaro.

Kenny Jones is making a good effort. He doesn't ignore any group, but just isn't running hard. He appeals to north city voters that just can't bring themselves to vote for Rep. El-Amin or Rep. Boykins. Watch-out for this dark-horse candidate to take a 3rd or not-so-close 2nd to Jeff Smith.

Well, Well, Well!

Let me tell you something, Arch City Chronicle! The real race has just begun, it is one thing to win and another thing to govern. Many people in North St. Louis will not be able to work together when this election is over and Claire Mc Caskill will have a tough time coming in the City of St. Louis to pull people together to win the U.S. Senate, and all hell will have broken loose citywide by the time the Presidential elections come around. Many people running for office from the Northside community have made bad decisions to get elected out of greed and decided to say the hell with helping the Northside community come up and make it.

The Organization for Black Struggle will see the Real Black Struggle for Organization when all of these elections are over. Organizations will not pick black leaders for our people in the future, unless they are comprised of young people that have really struggled from the streets of the Northside.

Loyalty has not been rewarded by the Oldheads that have overseen many of these social, religious and political organizations in our Northside community, and they know who they are. These Oldhead leaders are going to have to step down from their positions in the future and retire, so start getting ready now. Protest will be a thing of the past, it is time for some REAL REVOLUTION.

People are starving out on these streets, and the best they can get is a promise of $7.50 an hour for the future.

Hell no, some political, social, and religious leaders that are suppose to be representing the masses of our Northside community are eating good and cutting backdoor deals to get rich, while "every since I can remember I been popping my collar!"

Let me tell you all something,

"Get locked up they read books to pass the time, In the game there's up's and down's, so I stay on the grind,

There ain't nothin they can do to stop my shine, This is God's plan homey, this ain't mine,

I'm the dropout who made more money than these teachers, Ruthless like the Coupe but I'm come with more features,

I am what I am, you could like it or love it,
It feels good to pull 50 grand, & think nothing of it,

If I can't do well, Homey, It can't be done,
Now I'ma let the champagne bottle pop,
I'ma take it to the top,
Fo sho I'ma make it hot, BABY!

50 cent-If I can't
50 cent is ranked # 8 on Forbes-Top 100 List of Celebrities Earning "CREAM (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)"

IRV only works if you get rid of partisan elections. And unfortunately, partisan elections aren't about to go away, even if St. Louis is cynically a two-party town of white Dems and black Dems.

Trying to bridge our town's longstanding divide, Smith and El-Amin appeal the most to young Dems, who are the most color-blind voters. However, Yaphett, as evident in the OBS, is more Malcolm X in her style, while Jeff is more MLK.

This is yet another bad sign for the Boykins campaign, which leads me to wonder- when is Boykins going to start going after El-Amin??? I think Boykins wins on the issues and I think most people in the district would be more comfortable with Boykins as their state senator, but why isn't she doing more?

Nonsense, Brian. IRV was designed for partisan elections, notably the multi-party elections that virtually every other democracy has. (It may surprise US myopics, but the US didn't invent IRV.)

Major parties eschew IRV because using the spoiler factor as a club to intimidate principled voters into settling for their corporate-owned centrists over more principled independent or third party candidates is how they maintain their precious duopoly. Whoever goes along is part of the problem.

Travis, I believe you underestimate Yaphett El-Amin's appeal. I find her very approachable. While I agree that she will not win many white votes, she will compensate by running very strong among African Americans, both in her north side base and also among blacks in the southern part of the district (notably south of TG Park and near the old Famous Southtown).

It is also unwise for a Smith supporter such as yourself to paint Jeff's election as inevitable. Much of Jeff's support is from young voters whose record for turning out in primaries is pretty miserable. Jeff will lose if his supporters don't bother to vote because they think he's got it in the bag. He doesn't.

Oracle, America does not have two (viable) parties due to the lack of IRV. It has more to do with our electoral systems as opposed to voting mechanisms. European Democracies are more Proportional Representation systems which produce more parties, We are a Single Member District Plurality system which have a tendancy to produce a two party system. Plus IRV doesn't work the way you describe, it is actually more sinister when people figure it out. (Never rank your first choice first...)

This race is still anyones guess. The beauty of this race is all of the candidates are experinced campaigners with different styles. Endorsments are not the golden ticket (ask Joan). I love this race!

If IRV is a solution to the problem of people getting elected without a majority of the vote, then it really is not needed here. I do not find very many recent elections in the City (legislator, BOA, city/county offices, party committee) where the winner fails to secure the position with 51% or better under the current system.

Dec 2005 special election
24th ward ald: Waterhouse 50.99%

June 2005 special election
4th ward ald: Shelton 36.61%

Aug 2004 Democratic primary
3rd cong: Carnahan 22.9%
59th dist house: Oxford 42%
64th dist house: Storch 44%
4th ward comm: Shelton 36% (2 votes more than Moore)
18th ward comm: Piggee 50% (1 vote more than Todd)

May 2004 special election
23rd Ward ald: Hanrahan 48.94%

March 2003 Democratic primary
4th ward ald: Ryan 46%
16th ward ald: Baringer 50%
22nd ward ald: Boyd 50% (11 votes more than Ozier)

Aug 2002 Democratic primary
58th dist house: Hubbard 34.8%

March 2001 Democratic primary
15th ward ald: Florida 50% (21 votes more than Daus)

I hate chat rooms, but these blogs are addictive. I have tried to stay away; however, every now and then I have to return to feel the pulse of the city I was born and raised.

El-Amin vice Jeff Smith? I must remember this is the Midwest and although it is not an issue for me, sexism and racism are still alive and well. Will my upper middle class African Americans please forgive me because I know how hard we have worked to educate ourselves and mainstream into America. The race card is ploy used by our underachieving brethren. However, as in they saying goes, “In emergency: break glass!”.
Well, folks, THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!

Again, all things being the same, if Jeff Smith was Jameka Smith without a proven track record and El-Amin was Jonathan Schnunck without any experience, but both great on "speaking" the issues, can anyone honestly say that there would be an issue? Of course, Johnny would be the only intelligent choice despite Jameka’s promises and positions on the issue, because Johnny has the talk and the experience. Johnny would hands down be the only intelligent choice.

Anyone that would take a minute and google El-Amin’s name would admit this is sheer lunacy. If one would take time and go to the State House of Rep and read El-Amin’s voting record, committees she has sat on, and the tenacity she fights with on the issues that involve the ENTIRE city would at least have to reexamine the situation.

Everyone likes to think of him or herself as unbiased, at-least semi fair, and views the world as colorless, but look again.

PROMO, I am truly ashamed, I will be canceling my membership. Your endorsement of Smith makes a mockery of what I thought you stood for-equality

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