Hi folks In case you hadn't heard, the move to ban RCV (and all electoral reform) has gone federal in the United States: https://legiscan.com/US/text/HB7300/id/3343097 Here's the press release: https://cha.house.gov/press-releases?id=460DC098-9C01-4F60-8BA5-E795D1501893 Here's some mainstream reporting about it: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5712698-house-republicans-election-reform-bill/ ...and here's a post I made to reddit about it earlier today: https://www.reddit.com/r/EndFPTP/comments/1qt80c8/proposed_ban_on_rcv_at_the_federal_level/ To quote the press release, this will: - Require photo identification to vote - Require states to verify citizenship of individuals when registering to vote - Implement stronger routine voter list maintenance requirements in states - Require mail-in ballots to be received by the close of polls on election day - Require states to use auditable paper ballots - Ban ballot harvesting - Ban ranked choice voting - Ban universal vote by mail If you were thinking "*great!** they're banning **RCV/IRV*", bear in mind that the actual bill contains this: > *"A State may not carry out a general election for Federal office in the State using a voting system that— (1) permits a voter to vote for more than one candidate for the same office; (2) permits a voter to rank multiple candidates for the same office; or (3) reallocates the vote of a voter from one candidate to another candidate for the same office."* Whee! One of us (maybe me, maybe y'all) should update this electowiki article as you learn more about this bill: https://electowiki.org/wiki/Make_Elections_Great_Again_Act Rob

I have heard about this, particularly the "Make Elections Great Again" Act. I'm probably going to have to write a letter to Sen. Welch about this stuff again. I actually would favor mandating paper ballots everywhere, but the mandate should not from from the federal level (because of our history and tradition of elections being managed at the state level according to state law). I just wish that every single state used optical scan technology with paper ballots. For the sake of democracy, I am willing to kill a few trees (they deserve it anyway). I fear, that the RCV Industrial Complex will just circle the wagons and lie about problems of Hare RCV. This lies will be exposed by opponents to RCV and the whole movement will lose credibility. (Thank you, FairVote.) -- r b-j . _ . _ . _ . _ rbj@audioimagination.com "Imagination is more important than knowledge." . . . > On 02/01/2026 9:39 PM EST Rob Lanphier via Election-Methods <election-methods@lists.electorama.com> wrote: > > > Hi folks > > In case you hadn't heard, the move to ban RCV (and all electoral reform) has gone federal in the United States: > https://legiscan.com/US/text/HB7300/id/3343097 > > Here's the press release: > https://cha.house.gov/press-releases?id=460DC098-9C01-4F60-8BA5-E795D1501893 > > Here's some mainstream reporting about it: > https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5712698-house-republicans-election-reform-bill/ > > ...and here's a post I made to reddit about it earlier today: > https://www.reddit.com/r/EndFPTP/comments/1qt80c8/proposed_ban_on_rcv_at_the_federal_level/ > > To quote the press release, this will: > * Require photo identification to vote > * Require states to verify citizenship of individuals when registering to vote > * Implement stronger routine voter list maintenance requirements in states > * Require mail-in ballots to be received by the close of polls on election day > * Require states to use auditable paper ballots > * Ban ballot harvesting > * Ban ranked choice voting > * Ban universal vote by mail > If you were thinking "great!they're banningRCV/IRV", bear in mind that the actual bill contains this: > > "A State may not carry out a general election for Federal office in the State using a voting system that— (1) permits a voter to vote for more than one candidate for the same office; (2) permits a voter to rank multiple candidates for the same office; or (3) reallocates the vote of a voter from one candidate to another candidate for the same office." > > Whee! One of us (maybe me, maybe y'all) should update this electowiki article as you learn more about this bill: > https://electowiki.org/wiki/Make_Elections_Great_Again_Act

On 2026-02-02 03:39, Rob Lanphier via Election-Methods wrote: > Hi folks > > In case you hadn't heard, the move to ban RCV (and all electoral reform) > has gone federal in the United States: > https://legiscan.com/US/text/HB7300/id/3343097 > <https://legiscan.com/US/text/HB7300/id/3343097> > > Here's the press release: > https://cha.house.gov/press-releases?id=460DC098-9C01-4F60-8BA5-E795D1501893 <https://cha.house.gov/press-releases?id=460DC098-9C01-4F60-8BA5-E795D1501893> > > Here's some mainstream reporting about it: > https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5712698-house-republicans-election-reform-bill/ <https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5712698-house-republicans-election-reform-bill/> > > ...and here's a post I made to reddit about it earlier today: > https://www.reddit.com/r/EndFPTP/comments/1qt80c8/proposed_ban_on_rcv_at_the_federal_level/ <https://www.reddit.com/r/EndFPTP/comments/1qt80c8/proposed_ban_on_rcv_at_the_federal_level/> > > To quote the press release, this will: > > * Require photo identification to vote > * Require states to verify citizenship of individuals when registering > to vote > * Implement stronger routine voter list maintenance requirements in states > * Require mail-in ballots to be received by the close of polls on > election day > * Require states to use auditable paper ballots > * Ban ballot harvesting > * Ban ranked choice voting > * Ban universal vote by mail > > If you were thinking "/great!//  they're banning //RCV/IRV/", bear in > mind that the actual bill contains this: > > /"A State may not carry out a general election for Federal office in > the State using a voting system that— (1) permits a voter to vote for > more than one candidate for the same office; (2) permits a voter to rank > multiple candidates for the same office; or (3) reallocates the vote of > a voter from one candidate to another candidate for the same office."/ Great! Rated ballots forever, and/or two-round methods ("vote for more than one candidate for the /primary/, vote for only one candidate for office")! Or maybe my mostly-in-jest Condorcet method: for n candidates, create n^2 random "districts", one per pairwise contest, and ask each voter in the (A,B) district "do you prefer A or B?" More seriously, though, isn't this illegal? I had the impression that states were allowed to basically use whatever method they want to pick their electors. -km

Kristofer writes: More seriously, though, isn't this illegal? I had the impression that states were allowed to basically use whatever method they want to pick their electors. Congress can override state rules with respect to Congressional elections but not with respect to Presidential elections. Some federal regulation of Congressional elections can constrain the states with regard to their Presidential elections but only as a practical matter, because Presidential and Congressional elections are held on the same day with the same administrative procedures. If a state were willing to administer its Presidential elections separately, this bill (if it passes, which I don't think it will) would not prevent it from choosing its members of the Electoral College by STV, or Condorcet, or MNTV, or drawing straws, or anything it can think of. That includes selection by the state legislature with no election at all. --Bob Richard ------ Original Message ------ >From "Kristofer Munsterhjelm via Election-Methods" <election-methods@lists.electorama.com> To "Rob Lanphier" <roblan@gmail.com>; election-methods@lists.electorama.com Date 2/2/2026 4:21:08 AM Subject Re: [EM] The "Make Elections Great Again Act" >On 2026-02-02 03:39, Rob Lanphier via Election-Methods wrote: >>Hi folks >> >>In case you hadn't heard, the move to ban RCV (and all electoral reform) has gone federal in the United States: >>https://legiscan.com/US/text/HB7300/id/3343097 <https://legiscan.com/US/text/HB7300/id/3343097> >> >>Here's the press release: >>https://cha.house.gov/press-releases?id=460DC098-9C01-4F60-8BA5-E795D1501893 <https://cha.house.gov/press-releases?id=460DC098-9C01-4F60-8BA5-E795D1501893> >> >>Here's some mainstream reporting about it: >>https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5712698-house-republicans-election-reform-bill/ <https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5712698-house-republicans-election-reform-bill/> >> >>...and here's a post I made to reddit about it earlier today: >>https://www.reddit.com/r/EndFPTP/comments/1qt80c8/proposed_ban_on_rcv_at_the_federal_level/ <https://www.reddit.com/r/EndFPTP/comments/1qt80c8/proposed_ban_on_rcv_at_the_federal_level/> >> >>To quote the press release, this will: >> >> * Require photo identification to vote >> * Require states to verify citizenship of individuals when registering >> to vote >> * Implement stronger routine voter list maintenance requirements in states >> * Require mail-in ballots to be received by the close of polls on >> election day >> * Require states to use auditable paper ballots >> * Ban ballot harvesting >> * Ban ranked choice voting >> * Ban universal vote by mail >>If you were thinking "/great!// they're banning //RCV/IRV/", bear in mind that the actual bill contains this: >> > /"A State may not carry out a general election for Federal office in the State using a voting system that— (1) permits a voter to vote for more than one candidate for the same office; (2) permits a voter to rank multiple candidates for the same office; or (3) reallocates the vote of a voter from one candidate to another candidate for the same office."/ > >Great! Rated ballots forever, and/or two-round methods ("vote for more than one candidate for the /primary/, vote for only one candidate for office")! > >Or maybe my mostly-in-jest Condorcet method: for n candidates, create n^2 random "districts", one per pairwise contest, and ask each voter in the (A,B) district "do you prefer A or B?" > >More seriously, though, isn't this illegal? I had the impression that states were allowed to basically use whatever method they want to pick their electors. > >-km >---- >Election-Methods mailing list - see https://electorama.com/em for list info >