Mission Statement
Promote the adoption of instant runoffs elections (also known as instant runoff voting (IRV), ranked choice voting (RCV), and preferential voting), for local, state, and federal elections in Texas to help ensure broad voter support for winning candidates, save time and money, and improve the voting experience by reducing negative campaigning and helping to make sure all votes matter.
Guiding Principles
Non-Partisan
Given today’s political climate, we remain staunchly non-partisan in all of our efforts. It is important that this reform campaign not be perceived as coming from the left or right, but rather that it comes from voters for voters.
Coalition Building
Many existing organizations with diverse missions have become interested in instant runoff elections. Within Texas we will build a coalition of partner organizations and marshal our collective efforts in advocating for instant runoffs in Texas. We will coordinate with national organizations in support of national / federal efforts to adopt IRV.
Accessible
Our mission centers around grass-roots education and advocacy. Our message and underlying sources should be accessible by all Texans.
Transparent
The public’s trust that our message is sincere and fact-driven is crucial to our ultimate success. Amidst all of today’s vested interests and lobbying bodies competing for voter attention, we will strive for maximum transparency in all facets.
Strategic Aims
1. Build Public Support
We will educate and rally support from the general public for instant runoff elections. The resulting extensive database of supporters and broad group of volunteers and donors will persuade lawmakers and other public officials to support its adoption.
2. Lobby Legislators
Lobby to change state laws to allow and to adopt instant runoff elections; we recognize this will be a multi-year effort.
3. Ensure voting machines are capable of IRV
The largest Texas counties already have IRV-ready voting machines. To support other counties, we will provide information on machines and software that are IRV-ready and what can be done manually when a county’s machines are not IRV-ready.
4. Support election administrators
We will support state and county election administrators across the state in the smooth execution of instant runoff elections, when and where they occur.