{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://raskin.house.gov/2024/9/raskin-beyer-welch-bill-would-bring-ranked-choice-voting-to-congressional-elections-across-america", "Raskin, Beyer, Welch Bill Would Bring Ranked Choice Voting to Congressional Elections Across America", "2024-09-12", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "MD", "Jamie Raskin", "R000606", "raskin.house.gov", "raskin", "https://raskin.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and Congressman Don Beyer (VA-08) renewed their efforts to bring ranked choice voting to U.S. congressional elections, reintroducing their Ranked Choice Voting Act. Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) is introducing companion legislation in the Senate.\n\nThe legislation would require ranked choice voting (RCV) in all congressional primary and general elections starting in 2028, allowing voters to express support for multiple candidates for public office, with the candidate receiving the most votes declared the winner.\n\nWith RCV, voters rank candidates in order of choice. If a candidate receives more than half of the first choices, that candidate wins, just like in any election. If not, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and voters who picked that candidate as \u2018number 1\u2019 have their votes redistributed and counted for their next favored choice. This process continues until a candidate wins with more than half the votes.\n\n\u201cRanked choice voting focuses American elections and campaigns on coalition-building,\u201d said Rep. Raskin. \u201cOur legislation incentivizes candidates to reach a broader range of the voting public, making our electoral process more democratic, more positive, more efficient and more representative\u2014and our Congress too.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur democracy is at its strongest when everyone is heard and represented. Ranked choice voting offers an opportunity to break through polarization and strengthen our democracy by ensuring that our elected candidates have received the broad support of the folks they\u2019ll represent,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cThis pro-democracy bill will make our elections more equitable, more civil, and more representative.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn an increasingly polarized Congress, it\u2019s become ever more difficult to produce pragmatic legislation and solutions that benefit the American people,\u201d said Rep. Don Beyer. \u201cBy implementing ranked choice voting, which ensures that winners are elected with majority popular support, we can encourage the election of leaders who build broad and diverse coalitions and are focused on solutions rather than divisive rhetoric. This would increase voter satisfaction and be a great win for a healthier democracy.\u201d\n\n\u201cRanked choice voting is the fastest-growing election reform in the nation because it works,\u201d said Meredith Sumpter, President and CEO of FairVote, a nonpartisan organization seeking better elections. \u201cRCV fixes the \u2018spoiler problem\u2019 and ensures winning candidates represent the majority of voters\u2014without the need for expensive, low-turnout runoffs. Everywhere it\u2019s used, voters have embraced RCV and the better choices, better campaigns, and better governance that it delivers. The Ranked Choice Voting Act will give every voter the freedom to make their voice truly heard in Washington.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe appreciate Representative Raskin\u2019s strong leadership on this important election reform aimed at expanding voter choices and increasing voter participation in elections,\u201d said Jon Golinger, Democracy Advocate, Public Citizen. \u201cGiven the unprecedented threats to the integrity of our elections, we need to work harder than ever to advance bold reforms that strengthen American democracy.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are in the midst of a crisis in democracy,\u201d said Debra Perlin, Policy Director, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). \u201cRep. Raskin and Senator Welch's Ranked Choice Voting Act is welcomed democracy reform legislation aimed at decreasing political polarization and increasing the power of communities to elect candidates that truly represent their needs. Preliminary studies show that by giving voters more choices, along with voter education and assistance, ranked choice voting increases the electoral viability of community-based candidates and expands access to the ballot for all voters, including voters of color. We call on Congress to pass the Ranked Choice Voting Act in order to build towards a more inclusive democracy, where politicians are more accountable to their constituents and focus on the issues that matter to the people they serve.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Ranked Choice Voting Act would help make our democracy fairer and more representative because it gives voters more choice and enables the election of candidates who have broader support in their community,\u201d said Trevor Potter, founder and president, Campaign Legal Center. \u201cRanked choice voting is proven to increase voter turnout and leads to a more diverse array of candidates. Additionally, ranked choice voting gives the public the opportunity to vote for their preferred candidate, regardless of party, without fear of wasting their vote or \u2018spoiling\u2019 the election. CLC fully endorses the Ranked Choice Voting Act and encourages Congress to pass it.\u201d\n\nVoting and elections experts observe that RCV can help foster political goodwill in a polarized, partisan environment. States like Maine and Alaska already successfully implemented RCV in congressional races, and many other states have RCV legislation under consideration.\n\nThe RCV Act is endorsed by the following local, state and national organizations:\n\nNational Organizations \u2013 American Sustainable Business Council Business for Democracy, Campaign Legal Center, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Electoral Innovation Lab, Divided We Fall, FairVote Action, National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, People Power United, Public Citizen, Rank the Vote, RepresentUs, RepresentWomen, Secure Elections Network, Third Way, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice and the United Church of Christ.\n\nState and Local Organizations \u2013 Better Ballot Arizona, Better Ballot Georgia, Better Ballot North Carolina, Better Ballot SC, Cal RCV, Clean Elections Texas, Connecticut Voters First, Equal Justice Society, FairVote Illinois, Fair Vote Washington, Fix Democracy First, Get Money Out \u2013 Maryland, MassVOTE, NH Ranked Choice Voting, Ocean State RCV, Rank My Vote Florida, Rank the Vote Kentucky, Rank the Vote Ohio, Ranked Choice Boston, Ranked Choice Voting Maryland, Represent.Us of New Jersey, RoxVOTE Coalition, SC Small Business Chamber of Commerce, UpVote Virginia, Vote Nevada, Voter Choice Arizona, Voter Choice MA and Voter Choice New Jersey.\n\nThe legislation is cosponsored by Reps. Dan Goldman (NY-10), Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Seth Moulton (MA-06) and Scott Peters (CA-50).\n\nRead the full text of the RCV Act here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://raskin.house.gov/2024/9/raskin-beyer-welch-bill-would-bring-ranked-choice-voting-to-congressional-elections-across-america"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4294101856648922, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}