President Biden started off his State of the Union address last night by congratulating new Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, who was elected after 15 rounds of voting (a process that could have been significantly sped up with ranked choice voting). Biden emphasized themes of progress, resilience, and pride throughout his speech, and closed by speaking about the importance of democracy and voting – the pillar on which everything we hold dear stands.  

From the January 6 insurrection to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, democracy has been put at risk in America and abroad, but has persevered. Yet, it is clear that our future will rely on proactive measures to preserve, protect, and improve our democratic republic – and for other democracies around the world to do the same. Biden recently signed the bipartisan Electoral Count Reform Act into law, helping to protect the integrity of our elections.

Democracy must not be a partisan issue. It’s an American issue.

– President Biden

Discussing democracy and other critical issues facing our nation, Biden repeatedly called for bipartisanship and working across the aisle. This may resonate with Americans all over the country who feel that the government is failing to address the issues that matter to them due to toxic polarization and negativity in our politics. Americans are tired, and it’s time for progress.

To protect the right to vote, restore trust in the election system, and make the government work for all of us, FairVote proposes that members of Congress from both parties:

1. Pass the Fair Representation Act. This bill establishes multi-member districts elected using proportional ranked choice voting. This will help reduce polarization, increase civility, nearly eliminate partisan gerrymandering, and ensure every American in every community is heard.
2. Pass the Voter Choice Act. This would reduce barriers for states and cities looking to adopt ranked choice voting (RCV). 13 million voters already use RCV, and that number is only growing. RCV is popular because it rewards positive campaigning, gives voters better choices, and saves taxpayers money by replacing runoffs.
3. Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. This bill will help restore provisions of the bipartisan Voting Rights Act. It will also help mitigate the effects of gerrymandering, and ensure every American has equal access to the ballot.

And it’s not just good policy, it’s good politics too – as recent polling makes clear, Americans want electoral reform. 

To keep the state of the union strong, we must listen to the people and push forward with these inclusive and expansive reforms that strengthen our election system.