Oppose ranked-choice voting schemes

While on the surface, ranked-choice voting (or RCV) may seem like a cost-efficient means to eliminate the need for primary runoffs, the Travis County Republican Party Executive Committee sounded the alarm on the unintended consequences of RCV and how it may be misused to support radical-left candidates. Below is the text of the resolution which was approved unanimously.

WHEREAS, America has operated on a well understood and relatively uniform election system that has been implemented over two hundred years to support our Constitutional Republic; and

WHEREAS, the political parties in America have created the world’s largest representative forums for debate among thousands of factions of American citizens all across the nation; and

WHEREAS, traditional American primary and general elections ensure that voters who support one candidate, not a plurality of candidates, are heard clearly, while ranked choice voting schemes open elections to “ballot exhaustion” or the disenfranchisement of voters who choose not to support multiple candidates who do not clearly represent their values; and

WHEREAS, the grassroots activists of the Travis County Republican Party have made it abundantly clear that we need to keep voting simple and secure; and

WHEREAS, educating voters on the confusing processes that vary by state has cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars for educational efforts that have provided ineffective results; and

WHEREAS, states and communities where ranked choice voting has been tested have seen decreased voter participation, and in many cases, elections have resulted in more discarded votes than counted votes; and

WHEREAS, ranked choice voting often results in additional tabulation delays leading to days or weeks of additional counting while depending exclusively on technology without traceable ballots to support determined winners; and

WHEREAS, supporters of ranked choice voting seek to eliminate or disempower party primaries; and

WHEREAS, the Republican National Committee (RNC) unanimously adopted a similar resolution calling for opposition to ranked choice voting at the RNC 2023 Winter Meeting; now

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Travis County Republican Party rejects ranked choice voting and similar schemes that increase election distrust, voter suppression, and disenfranchisement, that eliminate the historical political party system, and that depend on costly and confusing technology implemented by unelected bureaucrats; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Travis County Republican Party calls on the State Legislature and voters to oppose ranked choice or preferential voting in every locality and level of government and to return elections to easier systems that have worked for centuries for fair and transparent elections; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Travis County Republican Party supports efforts to ban such voting methods through support of SB 921 authored by Senator Bryan Hughes. Approved unanimously 4/18/23.

(NOTE: TCRP signaled our support of HB 3611 to this same subject — https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=88R&Bill=HB3611)