As we approach Election Day, there’s both new hope and cause for concern in the
push for fair representation and better elections. Donate Today!


Dear John,

As we approach Election Day, there’s both new hope and cause for concern in the
push for fair representation and better elections. Read on to learn about:

* Anew reportfrom the American Academy of Arts and Sciences on howto transform
Congress
* A critical Voting Rights Act case before the Supreme Court
* The 18 cities and counties using ranked choice voting this year

NEW REPORT: REINVENTING CONGRESS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Last week, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences – a leading
cross-disciplinary research center and society founded by John Adams and John
Hancock in 1780 – released an importantnew reporton how to fix our broken
Congress. I was honored to be a contributor to this report, which makes a
powerful case for a shift toproportional representation(PR).

The authors highlight how proportional representation can empower voters and
improve governance:

“In proportional systems, more votes tend to contribute to ‘winning’ outcomes.
In any multi-seat district, for example, a party that earns 40 percent of the
vote will secure at least one of those seats, whereas a party garnering that
same vote share in a single-member district would win nothing. Under the
proportional system, more candidates and, in turn, their voters have won. This
may be one chief explanation of higher voter turnout rates in proportional
systems.”

They also discuss the real-world record of proportional representation in
reducing polarization:


“A winner-take-all electoral system can therefore make escalating polarization
more difficult to escape… Proportional systems are associated with lower levels
of political violence globally compared with winner-take-all. Electoral losers
also have greater levels of trust in their democratic institutions in
proportional systems than those in winner-take-all.”

The Academy previously endorsed proportional representation – using RCV and
multi-member districts – in its landmarkOur Common Purposereport in 2020. The
new report doubles down on the Academy’s support for proportional
representation, and goes into more detail on why PR is so important and how it
could be implemented. As the report rightly notes, it would not require a
constitutional amendment – just an act of Congress.

On Wednesday, November 5 at 2:30pm ET, the Academy is hosting avirtual eventto
discuss the new report.You can register using the button below. We hope you can
make it!

Register Here VOTING RIGHTS BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Louisiana v. Callais, a
case that could shape the future of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The Court may
limit the drawing of majority-minority congressional districts – one of the
critical remaining VRA protections ensuring fair representation for voters of
color.

Lakeisha Steele, FairVote’s new Vice President of Federal Affairs and
Partnerships, shared her family’s story in highlighting the importance of the
VRA:

“My mother, who recently passed away, was born in 1948 in Greenville,
Mississippi – the heart of the Jim Crow South… She told me about the indignities
and intimidation [her parents] experienced – like all Black Americans during Jim
Crow – with literacy tests, poll taxes, the grandfather clause, and constant
fear…

“A Supreme Court decision that weakens Section 2 of the VRA would not only harm
Black voters in Louisiana; it would jeopardize our nation’s ability to ensure
full citizenship, fair representation, and a multiracial democracy.”

Read Lakeisha’s full story here.FairVote stands with the voting rights community
in the fight to preserve the Voting Rights Act, and will continue to advocate
for the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to ensure our
democracy reflects all Americans.

FairVote’s Lakeisha Steele and Ryan Suto at a rally to protect the Voting Rights
Act outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday
THE 18 CITIES AND COUNTIES USING RCV IN 2025
Ranked choice voting is now used in dozens of cities, counties, and states
across the U.S. In 2025, 18 cities and counties are using RCV in their elections
– including the most populous cities in three states.

Some of those cities – like New York, home to over 8 million people –already
used RCVin primaries or spring elections. Other major cities are using RCV in
their November general elections, with early and mail voting underway in many.

Minneapolis, St. Paul, Santa Fe, and Fort Collins, CO all have closely watched
mayoral elections using RCV. FairVote is especially excited that voters in Fort
Collins will get to use RCV for the first time this November!

See a full list of jurisdictions using RCV this yearhere.We look forward to
sharing more about these elections in the coming weeks.

BEFORE YOU GO…
Want to read even more about election reform? We know the feeling!Here are some
additional articles and a new report you may enjoy:

* FairVote CEO Meredith Sumptershares whybusiness leaders should care about
election reform.

* FairVote’s Avram Reismanexplains why New York Cityshould use RCV for general
elections – like it already does for primaries.

* Researchers at the Institute for Mathematics and Democracyexamine over 4,000
elections using various voting methods, and find that RCV is one of the best
ways to prevent vote-splitting and strategic voting.

Onward,
Deb Otis
Director of Research and Policy

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