Under the Fair Representation Act, Connecticut voters would elect all 5 of their representatives statewide using proportional ranked choice voting.
Gerrymandering would be eliminated, every election would be competitive, and Connecticut voters would have far more power than they do today.
With more choices in the general election and proportional outcomes, the Fair Representation Act will create more opportunities for urban Republicans, rural Democrats, independents, women, and people of color.
Improved Partisan Representation
Proportional ranked choice voting elects candidates from each party reflecting the political makeup of that region.
Connnecticut’s statewide partisanship is 58% Democrat / 42% Republican. The Fair Representation Act would preserve the Democratic majority but also award a fair number of seats to Republicans.
Better Racial Representation
Proportional ranked choice voting increases the number of districts where communities of color have the power to elect a candidate of their choice. In a district with 5 representatives, any candidate earning at least 17% of the vote wins a seat, creating the opportunity for more groups to have a seat at the table.
Connecticut’s single-member districts are all majority-White, giving White voters power to elect each of the 5 representatives. With the Fair Representation Act, the population of White voters is enough to elect 4 seats, but not the 5th.
This means 1 seat is a “coalition seat,” or a seat where no individual racial or ethnic group is over the threshold on its own. These seats provide opportunities for coalition-building candidates, giving voters of color more deciding power than in single-member districts.
An End to Gerrymandering
Under the Fair Representation Act, Connecticut would no longer have to draw congressional districts every ten years, avoiding a process that is contentious, time-consuming, and expensive.
More Competitive Elections
Eliminating “winner-take-all” rules will make Connecticut elections more competitive. The state would most likely elect at least one member of both major parties. Even for seats that are considered “safe” for one party, candidates will be competing against other members of their party, creating healthy competition both within parties and between parties.
When elections are competitive, representatives are accountable to voters and have a greater incentive to champion bipartisan policies that have broad support.
A More Expressive Ballot
In proportional ranked choice voting, voters have the option to rank candidates in order of preference: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so forth. Voters are free to express their honest preferences without fear of “spoiler candidates” or “wasted votes”.
Learn more here about how ranked choice in multi-winner districts improves our elections.
