FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, March 31, 2023
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Ross Sherman, RepresentUs Media Relations Manager, 207-749-2660, rsherman@represent.us
Afraid they’ll lose power, state politicians across the country are trying to ban an election policy that gives voters better choices and better representation in government: Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). Last week, governors in South Dakota and Idaho signed RCV bans into law. Similar bans in Texas, Montana and Arizona are making their way through those state legislatures. Florida and Tennessee have already passed laws banning RCV. These attempted bans come before any city or town in any of these states has actually used RCV.
“This is a solution in search of a problem – and I’m being kind by calling it a solution. Banning Ranked Choice Voting is like banning Batman when crime in Gotham City is on the rise. RCV would really improve people’s lives, but politicians are hell bent on protecting their own power. It’s absurd,” said RepresentUs CEO Joshua Graham Lynn. “Let’s call these cynical moves what they are: an attempt to take away voters’ freedom to elect candidates who actually represent them. We know voters across the country won’t stand for it.”
Politicians’ opposition to RCV didn’t appear overnight. They’re ratcheting up their attacks because of the success of the anti-corruption movement. In the 2022 midterms, voters passed more than seven new RCV laws across the country – including Seattle, Portland, Ore. and Fort Collins, Colo. In total, 56 cities, counties and states use RCV. In 2023, lawmakers in at least 14 states have introduced RCV bills. Everywhere it exists, voters like the system and find it easy to use.
At first, politicians fought RCV the typical way: organizing opposition to bills in state legislatures and ballot initiatives, or finding ways to throw obstacles into the implementation process. But it appears they’ve decided that strategy isn’t enough. Politicians are now trying to put preemptive bans on the books – taking away the ability of any town or city in the state to innovate their election system even if they wanted to.
"Nearly 70% of Arizona voters do not believe that politicians are delivering the results they want, need, and deserve,” said Blake Sacha, President of Voter Choice Arizona – a nonpartisan group that supports RCV in the state. “It's a shame that some are trying to ban the very reforms that could most fix our broken politics."
Despite the recent backlash from politicians, RCV is still the fastest-growing election reform in the country. RepresentUs is currently supporting an RCV bill for presidential primaries in Vermont – which just cleared the Senate. And in Oregon, lawmakers are currently considering a bill that would give voters the opportunity to pass RCV statewide at the ballot in 2024.
“The backlash from the political establishment is as clear a sign as ever that the nationwide movement to give voters better representation and a healthier government is working. Politicians may succeed in the short term with their temporary shenanigans, but whether they like it or not, Ranked Choice Voting and other pro-voter laws are here to stay,” finished Lynn.
To help RCV’s momentum, RepresentUs, Democracy Rising and Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center released a first-of-its-kind guide to help advocates ensure a smooth first RCV election and defend RCV laws after they’re passed.
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RepresentUs is America’s leading nonpartisan organization fighting to protect and strengthen democracy. We unite unlikely allies from across the political spectrum who put country over party to pass pro-democracy laws, fight corruption, and defeat authoritarian threats. We have won more than 170 victories in cities and states across America since our founding 10 years ago. Each win is one step closer to our vision of making America the world’s strongest democracy.