Fair Representation Act (United States)

The Fair Representation Act (H.R. 3863) is a bill filed in the United States House of Representatives. Originally introduced in 2017 during the 115th Congress by Don Beyer (D–VA), it was reintroduced by Beyer in 2019 and 2021.[1][2]

Not to be confused with Fair Representation Act (Canada).

Fair Representation Act
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleTo establish the use of ranked choice voting in elections for Representatives in Congress, to require each State with more than one Representative to establish multi-member congressional districts, to require States to conduct congressional redistricting through independent commissions, and for other purposes.
Number of co-sponsors8
Legislative history

The bill has three main provisions:

Purpose

Beyer has stated the goal of the bill is to reduce polarization and partisanship by incentivizing elected representatives to appeal to a broader range of voters. Ranked choice voting and multi-seat districts would reduce the number of safe-seat districts and encourage more political competition as competition to the two-party system.[3]

The act is also alleged to ensure more proportional representation, both with political parties but also with the election of more women[4] and minority candidates.[5][6]

Reactions

Support

The bill has been supported by FairVote.[5]

Legislative history
Congress Short title Bill number Date introduced Number of cosponsors Latest status
115th Fair Representation Act of 2017 H.R. 3057 July 14, 2017 5 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice
116th Fair Representation Act of 2019 H.R. 4000 July 25, 2019 7 Referred to Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties
117th Fair Representation Act of 2021 H.R. 3863 June 11, 2021 8 Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration

See also

References
  1. "H.R.3057 - Fair Representation Act". congress.gov. July 14, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  2. Winger, Richard. "Congressional Bill for Multi-Member U.S. House Districts". Ballot Access News.
  3. "Beyer, House Democrats Introduce Fair Representation Act Following Supreme Court Decision On Gerrymandering". U.S. Representative Don Beyer. July 25, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  4. "Women's Representation: Saluting Black Women in Politics—Past, Present and Future - Ms. Magazine". msmagazine.com. February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  5. FairVote.org. "The Fair Representation Act". FairVote. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  6. Representation2020.com. "Fair Representation Act". RepresentWomen. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
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