Text of Congressional Bill for Multi-Winner U.S. House Districts

Here is the text of HR 3863, by Congressmember Don Beyer (D-Virginia). It requires states with at least six U.S. House seats to use multi-winner districts. It also mandates ranked choice voting and nonpartisan procedures for drawing district boundaries.


Comments

Text of Congressional Bill for Multi-Winner U.S. House Districts — 16 Comments

  1. What sayeth the troll critics about the mere 87 pages in the bill ???

    Bill is result of FairVote machinations since 1994.

    Average citizen can understand every word in the bill – esp. special exceptions ??? HA HA HA.

    USA Rep vacancy math ???
    ——–
    NOOO primaries.
    EQUAL nom Pets.
    PR — TOTAL Votes / TOTAL Members to elect each member — at least by each State.

  2. FOR NON-TROLLS/MORONS —
    Model State Const – part

    Sec. 6. (1) Each legislative body candidate shall receive a list of all other candidates in all districts grouped by party names by [63] days before the election day.
    (2) Each candidate shall rank such all other candidates (using 1 (highest), 2, etc.) and file such list by [5 P.M. 56] days before the election day.
    (3) The lists shall be made public the next day.
    (4) If a valid list is not filed, then the candidate’s name shall not be on the ballots.

    Sec. 7. (1) Each Elector may vote for 1 candidate for each legislative body.
    (2) The Ratio shall be the Total Votes for all candidates in all districts divided by the Total Members, dropping any fraction.
    Ratio = TV/TM
    (3) A candidate who gets the Ratio shall be elected.
    (4) The largest surplus more than the Ratio shall be moved to 1 or more candidates in any district who do not have the Ratio and who are highest on the candidate’s rank order list.
    (5) Only the votes needed to get the Ratio shall be moved to any 1 candidate.
    (6) Repeat steps (4) and (5) until all surplus votes are moved.
    (7) If all members are not elected, then the candidate with the least votes shall lose.
    (8) Such losing votes shall be moved to 1 or more remaining unelected candidates in any district who are highest on the candidate’s rank order list and subject to (5).
    (9) The moving order shall be original votes and then the earliest surplus or other loser votes.
    (10) Repeat steps (7-9) until all members are elected.
    (11) Example 100 Votes, Elect 5
    Ratio = 100/5 = 20

    Surplus Moved
    C1 25-20 = 5 Surplus
    C2 19+1 = 20
    C3 14+4 = 18

    Final
    C1 20 = 20 Elected
    C2 20 = 20 Elected
    C3 18+2 = 20 Elected
    C4 17+3 = 20 Elected
    C5 15+5 = 20 Elected
    Sum 90+10 = 100
    Losers 10 are moved to elected persons.
    (12) Each member shall have 1 vote in the legislative body and a YES majority of all members shall be required to enact legislation.
    (13) Each legislative body may meet any time in person, by written proxy or electronically and shall appoint its officers provided by law.
    —-
    Compare with Breyer bill — duh duh duh.

    Damn all trolls/morons – full speed ahead to save Democracy and E-N-D the rule of extremist commie/fascist 666 monarchs/oligarchs.

    Political *science* has advanced since 1066 and 1200s – gerrymander start of Brit minority rule gerrymander House of Commons.

  3. Calling everyone who disagrees with you a troll or moron neither bolsters your case nor makes for a productive discussion. I don’t know what you think you are doing to save democracy with your ascerbic tone. I doubt you’re doing much to convince anyone. Putting forth a mathematical schemata isn’t science, and doesn’t do anything to demonstrate why your proposed system would be better than others. The substance of my critique of your idea from the prior thread still stands, and you haven’t really bothered to address it. Does it need to be repeated here?

  4. Critics can critic until doomsday.

    USA legislative Democracy does NOT exist N-O-W

    — except when voters vote on issues and in at large legis elections
    — now mainly small pop local govts — esp olde NW Terr townships.

    Can even troll critics critic the 100 voters example as being too difficult for SCOTUS hacks to understand ???

    SCOTUS hacks (and armies of worse so-called lawyers] have so far been math MORON stupid about current 24/7/365 ANTI-Democracy gerrymander math —

    1/2 or less votes [PLURALITY] X 1/2 [BARE MAJORITY] OF RIGGED PACKED / CRACKED GERRYMANDER DISTS

    = 1/4 OR LESS CONTROL —
    WITH MUCH MUCH MUCH WORSE PRIMARY MATH

    = EVIL NONSTOP VICIOUS COMMIE/FASCIST LAWMAKING – SINCE 1776/1789.

    — WITH NOW PENDING CIVIL W-A-R II IN THE USA.

  5. Your proposal isn’t the only alternative to the status quo, so pointing out the weakness of the status quo doesn’t do anything to prove the superiority of your proposal. Your math is not too hard to understand, although whether it corresponds to real world numbers is a separate question. You’ll note on the previous thread that I’ve responded to criticisms of the one I floated, and you’ve substantially evaded criticism of yours. Continuing to deride people who engage you in good faith as trolls doesn’t help your case, either.

  6. Richard Winger does a great service by uploading the most current ballot access news, particularly posts like this. Almost nowhere else will you see reportage of mainstream movements toward electoral reform.

    Some of the most active commenters are not up to the material. Some are cranks, involved in online wars with people they have never met, shadow boxing. “Demo Rep” is in a category all his/her/their own though… Monomaniacally dedicated to making even possibly cogent points incoherent, unreadable and abrasive. I wish they would just state the case plainly and leave off every idiosyncrasy.
    His/her/their m.o. is appropriate for turning off people who are curious about political reform. It is more or less deliberate trolling. Winger has said that’s not the case, but I doubt it. The whole shtick is a hazing ritual for readers.

  7. I don’t believe he is intentionally trolling. I think he actually, strongly believes what he writes. I do believe he is convincing himself that he’s convincing others through repetition, and that’s just not how it works in reality.

  8. New York city Dem mayor primary –

    NO RCV winner yet – talk about many Tues reports to mid-July.

    What sayeth the BAN resident critics about the RCV *reform* ???

    esp if RCV was used to determine a USA Prez/VP — perhaps a mere 6.66 weeks to get FINAL results ???
    —–
    NOOOO primaries.

    execs/judics — NONPARTISAN APPV

    – PENDING CONDORCET — RCV DONE RIGHT.

  9. The House should be increased in size. If increased to 2000 most existing districts could becom five seaters. This would maintain the geographical link while increasing political pluralism.

    The redistricting commission should be a federal body like in Canada, headed by a retired federal judge, along with retired state judges.

    The goal should be to equalize voters. This is a requirement of equal protection. 300,000 or 50,000 or whatever voters should be able to elect a representative regardless of where they reside.

    Elections should be conducted by STV with the New Zealand rules, with a cascading to a statewide level.

    Federal election day should be restricted to federal elections only. Primaries should be banned.

  10. The biggest reason for the delay in NYC results is the extended deadline to receive and count absentee ballots. RCV is a minor part of the delay, and it’s worth noting this is the first RCV election there, so as voters and vote counters get used to it there will be fewer issues as a result.

  11. NY City DEADLINE for receiving ABS ballots is _____ ???

    USA Postal Snail working extra-hard ???

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