November 15, 2022
We are back for this month's The Scoop on RCV - your short update about all things ranked choice voting in Texas!

THE SCOOP: RCV FOR TEXAS UPDATES

1. Adopted the 4 Disciplines of Execution

As the RCV for Texas campaign revs up for the upcoming Legislative Session that begins in January 2023, we want to share with our supporters our focused strategy to push our movement forward. We have adopted the 4 Disciplines of Execution model which will enable us to track our campaign activities and determine how we are doing. You will receive an inside look of our campaign operations. In this issue of our monthly newsletter, we are announcing the first part of our strategy. The first of the four disciplines is to aim for "wildly important" goals. For us that means to pass the following three bills during the 2023 Texas Legislative Session:

1. Enable military and overseas voters to use RCV
2. Require use of RCV in all special elections
3. Provide the option to local governments or school districts to use RCV in nonpartisan elections

Stay tuned to our newsletter and share with your friends what you learn about the RCV world in Texas.

2. Our Supporters Delivered

We asked. You delivered.

• For the November midterm elections, RCV for Texas sent out a request for volunteers to work the polls and speak with voters about RCV. Twenty-seven of our supporters agreed to talk to voters at polls around Texas. While not everyone was able to follow through and the sign-up sheets are still trickling in, so far we have over 180 new supporters who were recruited during early voting or on Election Day. Some of our supporters did not ask voters to signup at the moment, but handed out flyers that will hopefully lead to self-signups.
• We have been talking to voters at the polls since Super Tuesday in March 2020 and this was our largest effort. This demonstrates the endurance and passion of our supporters.
• We cannot thank you enough for your hard work and dedication to our movement. Thank you.

3. RCV for Texas Board of Directors

• In October 2019, RCV for Texas was launched with the required minimum three member board of directors -- volunteers who were with us from the start. Expanding to bring in new skills and perspectives is important and we are pleased to have recently added two new board members.
• This month we would like you to join us in welcoming Greg Armstrong who joined us in April and was just appointed Secretary/Treasurer of the Board. Greg is the Chief Operating Officer at Signorelli Company and has held previous roles as a certified public accountant with national accounting firms as well as President & CEO of WEDGE Inc.
• Learn more about Greg and his thoughts on ranked choice voting on our website Leadership page. Thank you Greg for your enthusiasm for ranked choice voting and your desire to help get it adopted in Texas!

Upcoming Events

1. November 15 at 6PM - Volunteer Mobilization Phone Bank: Call potential
   volunteers so we can get more people active in our efforts! Help them identify
   upcoming opportunities to get Texas to adopt RCV. This is a great way to help
   from the comfort of your home. Register here.
2. November 15 at 7PM - Outreach Planning Meeting: Come join our RCV
   outreach team to plan for post-election outreach events and talk strategy in
   different localities. Register here.
3. November 17 and every Thursday at 7PM - 8PM - Weekly RCV Pitch
   Training: Come learn from a Rank the Vote national organizer how to talk to
   someone about Ranked Choice Voting when you're in the field. We'll talk
   about best practices, and have opportunities for you to practice your state's
   pitch. You'll also be able to ask any and all questions. Register here.
4.  December 5 at 7pm - Speaker Training: Help educate the public about RCV
   and gain endorsements through speaking engagements! This is the opening
   session of Speaker Training for passionate and engaging volunteers to become
   knowledgeable and confident to make presentations. Register here.

What We Are Reading

• Results for Ranked Choice Voting Ballot Measures in 2022 -FairVote Action
  • Adopting RCV was on the ballot in 10 places throughout the United States this midterm election. A record for RCV! Do you want to know what the voters decided?
  • This article provides updates on the ballot measures that involved RCV. Sneak peak: RCV is a winning strategy for the nation. No surprise to us! Read more to know where you will see RCV in the future.
• Good Idea Deserves a Try Out - Cato Institute
  • Author Walter Olson, Senior Fellow at the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute, outlines why it is wrong to hold a good idea down and why RCV deserves a wider tryout.
  • This is an exceptional article on RCV and worth the read.
• America Votes with RCV on November 8th - FairVote
  • RCV is used in more than 50 U.S. cities, in two states, by military and overseas voters in six states, and in other ways by political parties and for student government elections in almost 100 colleges and universities. Back in 2004, only a single city used RCV. We have come a long way but there is more to be done! This article shares advice for voters, candidates, and endorsers in RCV elections. Let's keep the momentum going!

Texas Local Runoffs

One of the big stories out of the midterm elections in Texas is that the election for Austin mayor and for several city council districts in Austin and El Paso are heading to a runoff. What makes this particularly interesting is that voters in Austin already voted in favor of using RCV in their local elections but cannot do so until the Texas legislature approves changes to the Texas Election Code. Those changes are what is being targeted by RCV for Texas.

If RCV had been used in the Austin election then:

• Austinites would already know their mayor and all council members (now they must wait until Dec. 13th)
• They wouldn't have to vote twice
• Election ads would be done
• No more money would need to be spent on campaigning
• The cost of the election could be spent more productively

Shouldn't locals have control over their elections? This is why one of the main goals for RCV for Texas is to provide the option to local governments or school districts to use RCV in nonpartisan elections.

Let's get this done Texas! Contact your representative and let them know that you support RCV for local government and school district elections.

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We Need Your Help!

Leading the charge for better elections in Texas through our grassroots campaign requires resources and help from committed supporters like you!

Ranked choice voting can lead to better elections by saving taxpayers time and money, creating broad support for candidates, reducing negative campaigning, and giving voters more choice and a stronger voice. Please help bring ranked choice voting to Texas by donating today!