HR 1189 IH
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1189
To provide that a State may use a proportional voting system for
multiseat congressional districts, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 22, 2001
Ms. MCKINNEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on House
Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction
of the committee concerned
A BILL
To provide that a State may use a proportional voting system for
multiseat congressional districts, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Voters' Choice Act'.
SEC. 2. MULTISEAT DISTRICTS PERMITTED FOR ELECTION OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR
STATES WITH A PROPORTIONAL VOTING SYSTEM.
(a) IN GENERAL- Notwithstanding the Act entitled `An Act for the relief of
Doctor Ricardo Vallejo Samala and to provide for congressional redistricting',
approved December 14, 1967 (Public Law 90-196; 2 U.S.C. 2c), a State that is
entitled to more than one Representative in Congress may establish a number of
districts for election of Representatives that is less than the number of
Representatives to which the State is entitled, if and only if, that State
uses a system that meets the following conditions:
(1) It meets the constitutional standard of majority rule and of
individuals having equal voting power.
(2) It ensures the election of any candidate who receives a share of
votes cast that is at least one vote greater than one-third of the total
votes cast in the multiseat district.
(b) NO RESTRICTION ON SELECTION- A State is not restricted to selecting
systems that require candidates to obtain at least one vote more than
one-third of the electorate in order to be elected. As long as the conditions
specified in subsection (a) are met, a State may use systems that allow a
smaller group of voters to elect Representatives.
(c) EQUALITY REQUIREMENT- In a State that uses multiseat districts, the
number of residents per Representative in a district shall be equal for all
Representatives elected.
(d) ONE-SEAT DISTRICTS ALLOWED- A State may use one-seat districts alone
or in combination with multiseat districts.
SEC. 3. RELATION TO VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965.
The rights and remedies established by this Act are in addition to all
other rights and remedies provided by law, and the rights and remedies
established by this Act shall not supersede, restrict, or limit the
application of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 1973 et seq.). Nothing
in this Act authorizes or requires conduct that is prohibited by the Voting
Rights Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 1973 et seq.).
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING USE OF INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING IN
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.
It is the sense of Congress that:
(1) A State should award its electoral votes for President and Vice
President to the candidates who receive a majority of the votes cast in the
State for such offices.
(2) An instant runoff voting system is an effective and appropriate
method for ensuring that one set of candidates will receive a majority of
the votes cast in the State. Under instant runoff voting, voters rank their
favorite and subsequent choice candidates, and if a majority has not voted
for one candidate, the candidate with least number of votes is eliminated
and another round of counting occurs. In the next round and each subsequent
round, ballots are counted for the highest remaining candidate ranked on
each ballot, and rounds continue until a candidate has received a majority
of the votes cast.
(3) Each State should adopt an instant runoff voting system for the
election of electors for President and Vice President.
END