Jason Snead, executive director of the HEPA, previously told Just the News that "RCV is elite-choice voting," adding that the "Same cohorts of big money donors on the left are pushing this, weakening the party apparatus," so that they will be "In position to step in and fill the gap." He believes that "Liberal mega-donors are buying a new election system" that will "Cater to their interests" and help push politics further left.
With RCV, if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, then a runoff system is triggered.
Two states use RCV in elections statewide, and three counties and 45 cities use RCV, according to FairVote.
Florida, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, and Tennessee have banned RCV. Iowa, Louisiana, Ohio, and Oklahoma are all working on legislation to ban RCV. However, pro-RCV groups are attempting to legalize the election system despite the bans.
Some state legislators attempted to push back by proposing a constitutional amendment banning RCV. The proposal failed in the Idaho state House last month after the state enacted a law last year banning RCV. Also, in Montana, where RCV is already banned, a group is attempting to put initiatives on the November ballot that would amend the state's constitution to implement RCV. In November, both Nevada and Oregon voters will be voting on ballot measures that would implement RCV in elections statewide if passed.
Final-Five Voting is a form of RCV. According to IPI, Final-Five Voting "Increases the likelihood that innovative ideas, diverse candidates, and issue-focused candidates will enter the race and create a dynamic debate between the primary and the general." The Hewlett Foundation, established by Hewlett-Packard's cofounder Bill Hewitt and his family, has given at least $3.62 million to FairVote from 2014 to 2020, according to the foundation's website.
In the foundation's Trustworthy Election Strategy for 2021-2025, it laid out its plan to "Wind down" its support for RCV "To make funds available for the new strategy to support trustworthy elections." Snead told Just the News on Tuesday that RCV benefits mega-donors.
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