Holiday Message from David Comeaux

Happy holidays, everyone! This is a season to pause, reflect and be grateful. I am personally thankful for the volunteers and supporters throughout Texas working to improve the way we elect our government officials. It is also a season of peace and joy - and I am reminded how instant runoff voting can improve the tone we all experience during our election seasons. All of this continues to be possible because of the dedication of volunteers and supporters like you.

Looking ahead, the new year brings opportunities to expand our outreach and deepen our impact.

On behalf of our Board, I wish you and your family peace, joy, and renewal this holiday season. Thank you for being part of this important work.

David Comeaux
Chair, Instant Runoff Voting for Texas

Ranking Holiday Treats!

Here is a fun way to practice using ranked choice voting (RCV), the method we advocate to conduct Instant Runoff Voting in Texas. You can also share with your friends and family to show them how easy it is to vote. What is your favorite holiday treat?

Clicking the button below will take you to a ballot.  You can rank, in order of preference, the holiday treats listed. If you like all five, rank them in order. If, like this writer, you’re not a fan of one of them, then don’t rank it at all; just rank the others in your order of preference.

Please forward this newsletter to your friends and family so they can try it out! Or you can display the QR code below to them and they can vote on the spot.

This “election” will remain open until New Year’s Eve. After you vote, you can see the preliminary results at the time of your vote. We’ll publish the final results in our January newsletter.

Note that while there are mild measures in place to deter duplicate voters, this program does not have the level of security that exists in elections for government officials.

 Some 2025 Texas Races Will be Decided January 31

The two most notable special elections from November 4 - one for US Congressional District 18 and one for Texas Senate District 9 -  will be decided in runoff elections on January 31, 2026.

Not only will these runoffs be costly to the taxpayers, but historically the turnout in runoff elections falls by an average of 40%. This means the winner is very unlikely to have majority support from their constituents.

Instant runoff voting (IRV) is a faster, cheaper, better alternative - promoting majority rule without the hassle or expense of runoff elections. More voters can make their voices heard on a single, high-turnout Election Day.

Get Involved: It Takes Each of Us

Runoffs Provide a Great Opportunity for Education and Recruitment

The upcoming January 31, 2026 runoff elections in Texas - in U.S. Congressional 18th District (Houston) and Texas Senate District 9 (Fort Worth) - can be an opportunity for us to get the word out about Instant Runoff Voting and how it can eliminate the need for separate runoff elections.

If you live in either of these districts, your enthusiasm for RCV is needed! Are you willing and able to canvass at polling places in these areas?

Polling places and local town hall meetings are perfect places to find new supporters who care about fairer, more representative elections.

If you would be interested in canvassing at the polls during the runoff elections, go to our canvassing landing page to find the materials you will need. Let people know about the benefits of Instant Runoff Voting and how they can help us to make it possible in Texas!

Other opportunities:

• If you are a social media user, we need you. IRVforTexas is looking for volunteers to post to and/or manage our social media accounts.

                 If you are interested, please contact Mary Beth Gilbert.

• If you are an experienced Canva user, we need you.

                 If you are interested, please contact Mary Beth Gilbert.

Please consider making a one-time or recurring monthly donation to help ensure that our work to improve elections in Texas can continue.

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