Take Action Against MEGA, a Bad Idea

Rep. Bryan Steil (R—WI-1) introduced the "Make Elections Great Again" Act, which would federalize elections at a level not contemplated by the Constitution. Here is an article from the Cato Institute explaining the case against this bill.

There is something you can do! The following is reprinted from FairVote:

The MEGA Act (H.R. 7300) creates a new set of anti-voter laws for federal elections, including banning RCV in general elections for Federal offices. Five jurisdictions already use ranked choice voting in federal elections - Alaska, Maine, Hawaii, Georgia and Washington, D.C. Voters in these states - and every state - should be able to elect their representatives in the manner they deem best, including using ranked choice voting and proportional representation.

So please, if you haven’t already - take a moment to write to your members of Congress imploring them to stop the MEGA Act and speak out against this attack on voting rights.

Click Here to Contact Your Elected Leaders

Contacting your representative and asking them to protect Ranked Choice Voting is the most effective action you can take today. Every voice counts, and together, we can fight for a more representative democracy.

 Below is the list, as of today, of Texas congressmen who are cosponsors of H.R. 3700.

Common Misconceptions About
Ranked Choice Voting

Do exhausted ballots in Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) disenfranchise voters?

But first - what is an exhausted ballot?

In Ranked Choice Voting an exhausted ballot is when the voter chooses not to rank all candidates. These ballots are equivalent to votes for minor candidates in single-choice elections or to turnout drop-off in runoff elections. Additionally, with IRV voters can vote for their favorite candidate and designate backup choices, increasing the chances that their vote will count in the final tally.

Short answer is No.

There is no data to show that IRV disenfranchises voters. In a March 2023 Texas Public Policy Foundation Update, James Quintero described ballot exhaustion correctly: it is what occurs when voters rank few candidates and their ballots become inactive once those they ranked are eliminated as low vote-getters, so those voters do not participate in the final determination of a winner.

Quintero refers to a study of 96 elections where an average of 10.9% of the ballots were exhausted, arguing that this result disenfranchises those voters. But if exhausted ballots in an IRV election disenfranchises voters, then the current separate runoff system leads to a much worse result: The Senate State Affairs committee found that voter participation was 42% lower in runoffs than in initial primary elections.

Voters with exhausted ballots are no more disenfranchised than voters who choose not to participate in generally expensive, low turnout runoff elections held under our current voting system.

Texas Taxpayers Will Once Again
Pay for Costly Runoffs

On May 26, Texans will return to the polls to vote in the primary runoffs for those races in March that were not decided with one candidate receiving 50% or more of the vote.

It is estimated that the races will cost Texas taxpayers millions of dollars and subject Texans to almost three more months of exposure to the negative campaigning of which we are already weary. And all that for the prospect of a significantly lower turnout, averaging around 48% of the original voters. Not much of a return on our investment!

Instant runoff voting is a better, faster, cheaper alternative that would ensure nominees have majority support, without the cost or diminished turnout of runoffs.

From: Fair Vote article

Become Engaged

Primary Runoffs Provide an Opportunity
to Explain the Benefits of IRV in Real Time

Primary runoff elections will be held on May 26, and early voting will be May 18-22. As voters show up at the polls, the opportunity arises to educate these voters about our proposal to improve our election processes with Instant Runoff Voting.  Let them know that IRV can eliminate the need for runoff elections, saving them time and taxpayer dollars.

We can make ourselves known at the polls to inform voters about the benefits of IRV and how they can help IRV for Texas achieve those benefits. If you would like to join us, please click the link below.

Please join us in our efforts to educate voters about Instant Runoff Voting. Play your part and persuade your 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 here. Young voters are an untapped constituency and are plugged into all social media platforms. 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 Texas elections can continue.

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