Dear John,

This morning, the Fair Representation Act was reintroduced in Congress by Reps. Don Beyer (VA-8) and Jamie Raskin (MD-8). This bold, comprehensive solution can stop gerrymandering and make Congress work for every American.

It makes every congressional district competitive, and encourages politicians to represent everyone instead of just their base. Ask your representative to support it today!

FairVote is hosting an insider briefing about the bill at 2 p.m. ET today, and we hope you can make it! Register here.

Read on to learn more about what’s in the bill, what to expect from the briefing, and a new book about proportional representation.

What’s in the bill?

The Fair Representation Act can transform Congress without a constitutional amendment, and has three main components:

• Multi-member districts. In three- or five-member districts, nearly every voter will elect a candidate they support. Voters like Massachusetts Republicans and Oklahoma Democrats will be represented in Congress. Gerrymandering will become nearly impossible.
• Ranked choice voting for all U.S. House and Senate elections. RCV frees voters to support their favorite candidates, and encourages candidates to reach out to more voters for second-choice support. When RCV is used in multi-member districts, it is a form of proportional representation.
• Uniform rules for congressional redistricting.

With these reforms, Americans would experience better representation, better political campaigns, and better governance. Earlier today, a group of leading scholars endorsed the bill for these reasons, urging Congress to “end our broken winner-take-all elections by passing the Fair Representation Act.”

Better representation

Each state with three or more representatives would draw multi-member districts instead of single-member districts. Research has found that this system would lead to fair partisan and racial representation, regardless of how the lines are drawn.

The Fair Representation Act will create more opportunities for Americans across the political spectrum to be represented in government. If a community represents 25% of voters in a three-member district or 17% in a five-member district, they’ll be able to elect a candidate of their choice. This maximizes the number of voters who can elect someone who represents their interests – including urban Republicans and rural Democrats, women, and people of color.

Better governance

Multi-member districts would likely elect members of both major parties, incentivizing collaboration across party lines. By making more voters count in the general election, the Fair Representation Act will reward elected officials for their ability to tackle big issues.

Most democracies worldwide use proportional systems to elect more functional legislatures; Ireland and Australia have both used RCV and multi-member districts for 100 years, and citizens in both countries are far more satisfied with their democracy than Americans.

In 2021, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship – co-chaired by FairVote Action Board Member Dr. Danielle Allen – recommended multi-member districts and ranked choice voting as key reforms in its Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century report.

Better campaigns

Each multi-member district will be competitive in the general election, not just the primary. With RCV, successful candidates will have to appeal to more voters and different bases of support, often asking for 2nd- and 3rd-choice support on voters’ ranked ballots. Issues, rather than mudslinging, will take center stage.

With RCV, voters won’t “waste” their vote on a longshot candidate; their vote can simply count for a backup choice if their favorite doesn’t stand a chance. Additionally, RCV allows voters to rank candidates from multiple parties.

The Fair Representation Act: Insider Briefing

At 2 p.m. ET today, FairVote is hosting a virtual briefing on the Fair Representation Act. It will be moderated by Ryan Suto, FairVote’s Senior Policy Advisor, and will feature:

• David O’Brien of RepresentUs
• Deb Otis of FairVote
• Minister Christian S. Watkins of the NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

You’ll have the opportunity to learn about the major components of the bill and how they work together to fix what’s wrong with Congress. Panelists will also discuss how this bill improves on previous versions and its path forward in the House, and take audience questions. Sign up here to attend.

Our Shared Republic makes the case for proportional representation in America

Alongside the reintroduction of the Fair Representation Act, we’re excited to share policy strategist Drew Penrose’s book, Our Shared Republic: The Case for Proportional Representation in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

In his book, Penrose makes the case, in an honest and thorough way, for a switch from winner-take-all voting to a form of proportional representation for the House of Representatives. The book examines decades of data on uncompetitive elections and political polarization, along with in-depth discussion of how multi-member congressional districts with proportional ranked choice voting would lead to fairer representation for all.

Want to learn about Drew’s project but don’t have time to read the book just now? Check out Drew and FairVote Senior Fellow David Daley’s fantastic new op-ed in The Fulcrum, “How a new way of electing the House can change our politics.” 

You can also learn more about Drew Penrose, his book, and the Our Shared Republic project here!

Thank you for taking the time to learn about the Fair Representation Act. We hope you’ll contact your representative and ask them to support the FRA today!

Onward,
Ryan Suto
FairVote Action Senior Policy Advisor