Under the Fair Representation Act, West Virginia voters would elect both of their representatives statewide using proportional ranked choice voting.
Gerrymandering would be eliminated, every election would be competitive, and West Virginia 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.
West Virginia’s statewide partisanship is 28% Democrat / 72% Republican. The Fair Representation Act would most likely lead to two Republican seats.
Better Racial Representation
The Fair Representation Act typically increases the number of districts where communities of color have the power to elect a candidate of their choice. In a district with 2 representatives, any candidate earning at least 33.3% of the vote wins a seat, creating the opportunity for more groups to have a seat at the table.
However, no communities of color make up 33.3% of West Virginia’s citizen voting age population, so no communities of color will have the power to elect a candidate of choice without forming a coalition with other groups.
An End to Gerrymandering
Under the Fair Representation Act, West Virginia 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 West Virginia elections more competitive. 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.
