January 31 Special Election Runoffs
Will be Costly with Low Turnout

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.

Here’s an example of the cost of just one of these runoffs.  Because no candidate received a majority of the votes when these Special Elections were held on November 4, 2025, there will now be a separate runoff election. In Harris County, there will be 17 polling places open for early voting from January 21-27. The polls are open from 7am to 7pm each day except Sunday, January 25, when they are open from noon - 7pm. Election Day itself is on January 31, and the 61 polling locations will be open from 7am-7pm.

Assuming at least three people per polling location while open, that is a total of at least 6,225 labor hours to administer this election, which would not be necessary if we used Instant Runoff Voting. And that’s not taking into account the additional toll on voters to go to the polls, the cost to the candidates of an additional two months of campaigning, and the exhaustion of voters who care enough to learn about the candidates and exercise their franchise.

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.

Preferential Primary Website Promotes
the Use of Ranked Choice Voting

PreferentialPrimary.org is a website created by Republican voters, current and former elected officials, state and national party leaders, grassroots activists, and veteran campaign operatives.  They are united by a desire to strengthen their party and to nominate candidates who can win general elections and govern effectively.

In states where primaries use plurality voting, otherwise electable candidates can be either rendered unelectable in a general election or lose out to a more polarizing candidate. When candidates aren't required to earn majority support to win, they only need to appeal to a small fraction of the primary electorate.

Candidates who get nominated in a primary based on plurality voting have new challenges in the general election, where the electorate is markedly different. Nominees often stake out positions in the primary that are unpalatable to general election voters.

Texas is different because a majority is required in a primary to win.  If no one gets at least 50% of the vote, a runoff is held between the top two candidates and the one that gets a majority, in a low turnout runoff election, is the party nominee.  As in plurality voting, the winner may get less than 50% of the votes in the original election, due to low voter turnout in the runoffs.

The website also highlights many more ways in which Republicans can benefit from ranked choice voting.

Republicans have historically been lukewarm, if not dismissive, of ranked choice voting, due to negativity from an election loss in Alaska. The Republican National Committee responded to this loss by passing a resolution condemning ranked choice voting.  It has come very close to being banned twice in the Texas Legislature.

IRV for Texas is hopeful that the information on this website can start to turn the tide toward adoption of ranked choice voting in primaries in Republican-led states.

Results from Ranking Holiday Treats

Pecan pie won by a large margin in our Ranking Holiday Treats vote in the December newsletter.  Here is how it all happened:

In round one, Gingerbread got the least number of votes and was eliminated after its votes were transferred to the second choice on those ballots that ranked Gingerbread first.

In round two, Snickerdoodle got the least number of votes and was eliminated after its votes were transferred to the remaining top choice on those ballots.

On the third round, Pecan Pie received enough votes to put it over 50% of the vote, making it the winner, with Pumpkin Pie and Hot Chocolate coming in second and third, respectively.

Click on the button below to see more detailed results.

Get Involved: It Takes Each of Us

Runoffs Provide a Great Opportunity for
Education and Recruitment

Runoff elections will be held in Texas on January 31, along with early voting for seven days ahead of that day. Although we see this as wasteful (some details in the first article above), it also presents an opportunity to educate the most engaged voters about our proposal to improve our election processes by eliminating the need for separate runoff elections.

The opportunity is simple: We can go to the polls on these days and let people know about IRV for Texas and why our solution would make the runoff unnecessary (along with the other benefits of IRV).  We can let them know what we need to do to change the current approach in Texas, and sign them up to help us get this done. If you would like to join us - particularly if you are in or near Harris County or Tarrant County - please click the link below.

Please join us in our efforts to eliminate this wasteful practice by educating voters about Instant Runoff Voting and getting involved to get the Texas Legislature to make it a reality.

We Need Social Media Volunteers!

Social media provides the best way to get in touch with most voters and potential voters today. This is a resource we have barely tapped into and really need someone who is proficient in this area to help us get the word out about all things instant runoff voting.

• 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.

IRVforTexas Relies on Donations
to Spread the Word about IRV

There are so many people who either haven't heard about IRV or have received misinformation about it.  Reaching those people takes resources and time, but it is definitely something worth pursuing.

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

What We're Reading