When each congressional district only elects one representative, anyone who
doesn’t support the winner will spend two years without someone advocating for
their views in Congress.
DEAR {{SMARTNAME}},

About 62 million eligible voters live in congressional districts that are safe
for the political party they oppose – and that'snot even counting the millions
who may feel forced to vote for that party as the "lesser of two evils."

That’s a key finding from FairVote’s latest report,Uncompetitive and
Unrepresentative, which sheds light on the dire state of American elections.

When each congressional district only elects one representative, anyone who
doesn’t support the winner will spend two years without someone advocating for
their views in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Moreover, as gerrymandering techniques become more sophisticated and geography
becomes an increasing predictor of Americans’ political views, our elections
become less competitive – giving the power over which party controls Congress to
just a few voters. In 2022, for instance, only 8% of U.S. House elections were
truly competitive.

We can and must do better. The Fair Representation Actwould give a voice to all
Americans who are currently “locked out of representation” by establishing
multi-member congressional districts. Districts with up to five members can do a
much better job of reflecting their residents’ diversity of opinion. A
district’s conservatives, progressives, and moderates could all see someone they
like elected to represent them – something unthinkable in the current system.

There would be real competition in every corner of the country as gerrymandering
is all but eliminated. Even in districts considered “safe” for one party,
multiple members of that party could compete against each other in the general
election, giving voters more meaningful choices.
AMERICANS WANT RANKED CHOICE VOTING IN PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES

As we approach the 2024 presidential campaign cycle, FairVote partnered with
Citizen Data to gauge whether voters are ready forranked choice voting(RCV) in
presidential primaries. By a more than two-to-one margin, voters are interested!

Importantly, ranking in presidential primaries has majority supportfrom every
demographic group included in the survey, with the highest support from younger
voters and Black and Asian American voters. Over 60% of both Republicans and
Democrats are interested in ranking candidates in presidential primaries. GOOD
THINGS HAPPENING IN PHILADELPHIA

Another pollby SurveyUSA – co-sponsored by FairVote and leading Philadelphia
institutions including the good-government group Committee of Seventy – finds
that Philadelphia voters want RCV in their local elections by a greater than
two-to-one margin, with 53% in favor and just 22% opposed. The poll is timely
for Philadelphia, where anine-candidate Democratic mayoral primaryis underway
and the leader is polling at just 19%. It’s all but certain no winner will
emerge with majority support.

SurveyUSA gave voters the option to rank their preferences for the primary, and
86% of respondents ranked multiple candidates! 79% said they found the process
of ranking candidates easy or very easy – even though there has been no RCV
campaign or voter education in Philadelphia (45% of respondents said they hadn’t
heard of RCV prior to the poll). This aligns with other evidence that voters
like using RCV and find it intuitive, even if they’re using it for the first
time.

The poll madeheadlinesacross Philadelphia, and was referenced by the
Philadelphia Inquirer in itsstrong endorsementof RCV. “There are signs that
ranked choice voting’s time may have arrived. All the major Democratic nominees
for mayor have publicly embraced the idea at forums, and a poll conducted by the
Committee of Seventy suggested that most respondents found the process easy, and
favored implementing it in Philadelphia.”
– Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Board KEEP AN EYE ON PROGRESS IN STATE
LEGISLATURES

More than half of states have had pro-RCV legislation this year, and a number of
bills are still in play. Keep an eye onFairVote Action's Get Involvedsection,
which has up-to-date information on state legislation and how you can help.
FAIRVOTE IN THE NEWS

As the Election Law Blog noted this week, “there must be something in the water”
– ranked choice voting is making news, and so are FairVote's expert staff
members.

Research and Policy Director Deb Otis joined a recent episodeof The Downballot
by Daily Kos Elections, where she discussed how RCV and proportional voting give
voters across the political spectrum a stronger voice. A great in-depth listen
for election nerds like us! Deb also spoke toThe 19thabout how ranked choice
voting is moving through legislatures across the nation, despite some efforts to
preserve the status quo and prevent meaningful change.

Senior Fellow Dave Daley was interviewed on the Fast Politics podcastwith Molly
Jong-Fast. They discussed Dave’s extensive work on redistricting reform, the
impact of recent court decisions, and how the Fair Representation Act would
“take the sting” out of gerrymandering. Start listening at 42:09 to hear Dave's
segment

In my role as CEO of FairVote, I have been selected by the Washingtonianas one
of the 500 most influential people shaping policy for the third year in a row –
a testament to the great work of our team and our movement!

We’re also excited that just last week, former Representative Adam Kinzinger
highlighted RCVas a way to reduce polarization in American politics, and Cato
Institute Senior Fellow Walter Olsonwrote in detailabout why conservatives
should support RCV. REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL: STRATEGIC PLANNING CONSULTANT(S)

FairVote is growing rapidly, and we’re seeking to scale our impact in the coming
decade. Starting in June 2023, we are undertaking a deeper strategic planning
process to develop a multi-year strategic plan to implement in 2025 and beyond.
We are seeking applications from qualified strategic planners to support the
planning process. If you're interested, you can learn more about the details and
how to applyhere. Thank you for supporting better elections. Over the coming
months, we’ll continue sharing updates about ranked choice voting, theFair
Representation Act, and much more.

Best,
Rob Richie
President and CEO Donate Today Copyright © 2023 FairVote, All rights reserved.

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