October 19, 2020
As Election Day approaches, it seems appropriate to think about how our political system is
working.
Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) isn’t a cure-all but will help on three fronts...
- In a time of limited resources, RCV would eliminate the additional cost and time associated with runoff elections. In 2018, Texas spent $17.1 million on primary elections, $4.4 million of which (26%) could have been saved if RCV were used.
- Especially during a pandemic or natural disaster, eliminating runoff elections means fewer visits to the polls and eliminates low-turnout runoffs.
- With RCV, candidates have reason to be more civil and issue-focused to earn second or third choice votes. A nonpartisan reform that turns down the heat of partisanship is certainly needed at this time.
- Regardless of how this election turns out, it will be important to focus on ways to improve our democracy as we seek to move forward together.
- We will continue to push for legislation to enable RCV in Texas and will be in touch with you at the appropriate time to contact your legislators and ask them to vote for bills enacting RCV.
RCV for Texas Campaign Update
Our digital outreach efforts are paying off as our supporter base hit 1,000 but needs to grow exponentially. We have spoken at several community events and are now on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn in addition to Facebook.
• We remain focused on introducing RCV legislation in the Texas legislative session scheduled to begin in January 2021.
How can you help?
Spread the word
- Reach out to 10 people you know. Send them our 1-page summary of the benefits of RCV, how it works, and how they can help get legislation passed by signing up on our website.
- 'Reach out to your social media network and post support for RCV with a link to our website, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn pages.
Community Outreach
- Ask the head of any organization you belong to to pass along information about RCV to their members.
- Host an online event where you or another volunteer presents about RCV.
- Make calls or send emails to people in our supporter database to encourage them to volunteer.
- Organize other volunteers who live in your city to discuss local options to advance RCV.
- Submit a letter to the editor of your local newspaper about the benefits of RCV.
- Search the Texas 2020 Voters Guide website to see how your candidates for U.S. Congress and the Texas Legislature feel about RCV and other potential electoral reforms. If they have not responded to the RepresentUs / Common Cause-Texas survey, you can nudge them to reply.
Behind the scenes
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Create relevant and engaging written or visual content for our website, media, or supporter newsletter.
Financial Support
- Make a one-time or recurring donation.
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Help raise money to support our public outreach efforts.
RCV in the News
- Maine will be the first state in U.S. history to use RCV for president.
- In July 2020, Maine conducted its second cycle of state and federal primary elections with RCV, including a primary election for U.S. Senate, one for the U.S. House of Representatives, and seven for state legislative seats. Turnout was high, voter error was very low, and the instant runoff resulted in majority winners.
- Two states and five cities have ballot measures in November 2020 to enact ranked choice voting (RCV). Including one passed earlier this year, these eight ballot measures represent the most jurisdictions voting on RCV in one year in American history. Ballot measures aren't an available path in Texas but RCV can be implemented via a legislative change to the Texas Election Code. That is what we are aiming for in the upcoming session.Follow us on social media for key updates as they happen.
We appreciate the efforts of our current volunteers. Please let us know how you would like to help. Email us at [email protected]
Best regards,
Harriet, Joanne, and Kathryn
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