THE SCOOP: RCV FOR TEXAS UPDATES
Ranked Choice Voting or Instant Runoff Voting?
Dallas City Council Refers RCV to Committee for Further Review
Customize Your Communications Preferences
SPOTLIGHT: Exciting Changes to RCV for Texas Leadership
THE SCOOP: RCV FOR TEXAS UPDATES
Ranked Choice Voting or Instant Runoff Voting?
How about both? The terms are used interchangeably. Instant runoff voting puts emphasis on eliminating low turnout costly runoffs. Ranked choice voting stresses the voter's candidates preferences.
Dallas City Council Refers RCV to Committee for Further Review
The Dallas Charter Review Commission completed its once a decade process to amend its city charter, including Charter Amendment 2, which called for switching from a runoff election system to a ranked choice voting system once state law permits. The commissioners voted to forward the RCV amendment to the City Council for approval. Council members decided not to put RCV on the November ballot, but to instead refer it to committee for discussion of a way forward. The City Council is interested in RCV, but was hesitant to make that change without a state law permitting its use.
Customize Your Communication Preferences
RCV for Texas is working on changes to allow for communication preferences for supporters. New sign-ups can choose if they only want to receive Action Alerts, or also want to receive newsletters, or all meeting and other announcements too. Our current supporters can now specify their preferences by filling out this short form.
SPOTLIGHT: Exciting Changes to RCV for Texas Leadership
Ranked Choice Voting for Texas is delighted to welcome two new Board members and an Executive Director to our organization.
Board member David Comeaux is the former Chief Counsel, Labor and Employment Law, McKesson and Shareholder, Ogletree Deakins. Before law school he had a brief career in hotel management at Hyatt, PKF Hospitality and Westbrooke Hospitality. He earned his JD from the University of Houston Law Center and his Bachelor of Arts from The School of Hospitality Management at Michigan State University.
"People respond to incentives. In the context of politics, candidates are motivated to demonize their opponents and focus on personalities instead of policies."
"In our current "choose one" voting system, voters are motivated to vote for the candidate they think can win rather than their preferred candidate. Ranked Choice Voting offers the best hope to encourage politicians to focus on the issues rather than personal attacks. At the same time, if fully empowers voters to support their preferred candidate."
Board member Mary Beth Gilbert practiced health care law and closely follows federal and state health policy. She has spent years volunteering for Make-A-Wish, NAMI Great Houston, MD Anderson Hospital, and as a guardian ad litem for Child Advocates. She is a politics and policy enthusiast active in Principles First, Braver Angels and No Labels. Mary Beth graduated from Marquette University and the University of Texas Law School.
"As a new member of the Board, I hope to develop grassroots support for instant runoff voting by distilling down the complex laws and rules that limit voter choice in a way that motivates average Texans to get involved."
"I believe instant runoff voting will not only be more efficient (fewer expensive, low turnout runoff elections), but will encourage candidates to try to EARN the vote of a broader swath of citizens. Elections and campaigns can return to the business of civil discussion of policy and trying to persuade one another rather than angering one another. Political change is never easy, but right now it is needed more than ever to give voice to the exhausted majority of Americans."
Executive Director Lora Schafer
Lora began her career in Human Resources and Recruiting at San Antonio Best Places to Work, later moving into small business management consulting. She has spent the past five years as an adjunct professor at Alamo Colleges teaching public speaking and business communication. Lora has been on the boards of several nonprofits in the San Antonio area that support women and children. She earned her Master of Arts in Conflict and Organizational Communication from Missouri State University and her Bachelor of Science in Human Relations and Psychology at Texas Christian University.
"I joined RCV as a volunteer after the 2020 election. I am currently an election judge in my home county and I have served as a party delegate. I grew up around elections and politics, as my dad served as an election judge and then as a treasurer for multiple county and state-level candidates in Tarrant County. I've always been fascinated and interested in politics and how our American system works. While I have specific policy issues I might otherwise want to work on, it has become evident that much of that work will struggle to come to fruition if the way we elect our representatives doesn't change to encourage healthier debate and collaboration. As a public speaking professor, I've heard the frustrations and disillusionment our young people have with the election system, such as how much money is spent and how uncivil so much discourse can be. I'm excited to help make the structural changes that help drive civility and our representatives actually representing us, the people.
Become Empowered - Volunteer!
In our current political environment, it can become easy to feel powerless. Don't give in! Spend a few hours a month becoming empowered at Ranked Choice Voting for Texas.
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Newsletter editor: We need someone with editing experience to edit our monthly newsletter. RSVP here
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Social media 'influencer': We need active social media users to help us reach as many people as possible about instant runoff voting. RSVP here
- Charter review 'investigator': Find out if your city or town is convening a Charter Review Commission in 2025 or 2026. We'll show you how. We'd like to add a trigger clause for RCV to City Charters in Texas. RSVP here
WHAT WE ARE READING
Texas runoffs see 60% turnout decline. Ranked choice voting can help. - Fair Vote
On May 28th, Texas held over two dozen primary runoffs for state and federal offices. These runoffs occurred a full twelve weeks after the initial primary on March 5. This article describes the drop in turnout and why Texas needs ranked choice voting.
Lamont names group to look at changing the way CT votes. Here's how it would work. - Hartford Courant
Governor Ned Lamont is forming a multipartisan working group to explore how to implant ranked choice voting in Connecticut. The group will be tasked with developing a comprehensive legislative proposal to implement ranked choice voting in caucuses, conventions, primaries and certain municipal elections. This article explains the process and the intended outcomes.
Everything you wanted to know about Ranked Choice Voting (and maybe some things you didn't). - UIS News
This article focuses on two things: the arguments made for and against RCV and what existing research tells us about RCV. The author's goal is to provide information, not take a position on the topic.
Phillips reintroduces bill to promote ranked choice voting. - Representative Dean Phillips Press Release
On May 17th, Rep. Dean Phillips reintroduced the Voter Choice Act in the 118th Congress, which boosts adoption of a ranked choice voting model for elections by investing $40 million in federal grants to cover up to 50 percent of the cost for local and state governments that choose to adopt RCV. This article highlights the bill and some of its supporters.
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