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--></style></head><body class="plain"><div>Kristofer writes:</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="quote"><div id="x49c9637254e745ac849c6239e09cf8ca"><div class="plain_line" style="background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0);margin:3px 0px 16px 5px;"> More seriously, though, isn't this illegal? I had the impression that states were allowed to basically use whatever method they want to pick their electors. </div>
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<div>Congress can override state rules with respect to Congressional elections but not with respect to Presidential elections. Some federal regulation of Congressional elections can constrain the states with regard to their Presidential elections but only as a practical matter, because Presidential and Congressional elections are held on the same day with the same administrative procedures. If a state were willing to administer its Presidential elections separately, this bill (if it passes, which I don't think it will) would not prevent it from choosing its members of the Electoral College by STV, or Condorcet, or MNTV, or drawing straws, or anything it can think of. That includes selection by the state legislature with no election at all.</div><div><br /></div><div>--Bob Richard</div><div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>------ Original Message ------</div>
<div>From "Kristofer Munsterhjelm via Election-Methods" <<a href="mailto:election-methods@lists.electorama.com" style="">election-methods@lists.electorama.com</a>></div>
<div>To "Rob Lanphier" <<a href="mailto:roblan@gmail.com">roblan@gmail.com</a>>; <a href="mailto:election-methods@lists.electorama.com">election-methods@lists.electorama.com</a></div>
<div>Date 2/2/2026 4:21:08 AM</div>
<div>Subject Re: [EM] The "Make Elections Great Again Act"</div></div><div><br /></div>
<div id="xdaa02d322efa41c"><blockquote type="cite" class="cite2">
<div class="plain_line">On 2026-02-02 03:39, Rob Lanphier via Election-Methods wrote:</div>
<blockquote type="cite" class="cite">
<div class="plain_line">Hi folks</div>
<div class="plain_line"> </div>
<div class="plain_line">In case you hadn't heard, the move to ban RCV (and all electoral reform) has gone federal in the United States:</div>
<div class="plain_line"><a href="https://legiscan.com/US/text/HB7300/id/3343097">https://legiscan.com/US/text/HB7300/id/3343097</a> <<a href="https://legiscan.com/US/text/HB7300/id/3343097">https://legiscan.com/US/text/HB7300/id/3343097</a>></div>
<div class="plain_line"> </div>
<div class="plain_line">Here's the press release:</div>
<div class="plain_line"><a href="https://cha.house.gov/press-releases?id=460DC098-9C01-4F60-8BA5-E795D1501893">https://cha.house.gov/press-releases?id=460DC098-9C01-4F60-8BA5-E795D1501893</a> <<a href="https://cha.house.gov/press-releases?id=460DC098-9C01-4F60-8BA5-E795D1501893">https://cha.house.gov/press-releases?id=460DC098-9C01-4F60-8BA5-E795D1501893</a>></div>
<div class="plain_line"> </div>
<div class="plain_line">Here's some mainstream reporting about it:</div>
<div class="plain_line"><a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5712698-house-republicans-election-reform-bill/">https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5712698-house-republicans-election-reform-bill/</a> <<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5712698-house-republicans-election-reform-bill/">https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5712698-house-republicans-election-reform-bill/</a>></div>
<div class="plain_line"> </div>
<div class="plain_line">...and here's a post I made to reddit about it earlier today:</div>
<div class="plain_line"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/EndFPTP/comments/1qt80c8/proposed_ban_on_rcv_at_the_federal_level/">https://www.reddit.com/r/EndFPTP/comments/1qt80c8/proposed_ban_on_rcv_at_the_federal_level/</a> <<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/EndFPTP/comments/1qt80c8/proposed_ban_on_rcv_at_the_federal_level/">https://www.reddit.com/r/EndFPTP/comments/1qt80c8/proposed_ban_on_rcv_at_the_federal_level/</a>></div>
<div class="plain_line"> </div>
<div class="plain_line">To quote the press release, this will:</div>
<div class="plain_line"> </div>
<div class="plain_line"> * Require photo identification to vote</div>
<div class="plain_line"> * Require states to verify citizenship of individuals when registering</div>
<div class="plain_line"> to vote</div>
<div class="plain_line"> * Implement stronger routine voter list maintenance requirements in states</div>
<div class="plain_line"> * Require mail-in ballots to be received by the close of polls on</div>
<div class="plain_line"> election day</div>
<div class="plain_line"> * Require states to use auditable paper ballots</div>
<div class="plain_line"> * Ban ballot harvesting</div>
<div class="plain_line"> * Ban ranked choice voting</div>
<div class="plain_line"> * Ban universal vote by mail</div>
<div class="plain_line">If you were thinking "/great!// they're banning //RCV/IRV/", bear in mind that the actual bill contains this:</div>
<div class="plain_line"> > /"A State may not carry out a general election for Federal office in the State using a voting system that— (1) permits a voter to vote for more than one candidate for the same office; (2) permits a voter to rank multiple candidates for the same office; or (3) reallocates the vote of a voter from one candidate to another candidate for the same office."/</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="plain_line"> </div>
<div class="plain_line">Great! Rated ballots forever, and/or two-round methods ("vote for more than one candidate for the /primary/, vote for only one candidate for office")!</div>
<div class="plain_line"> </div>
<div class="plain_line">Or maybe my mostly-in-jest Condorcet method: for n candidates, create n^2 random "districts", one per pairwise contest, and ask each voter in the (A,B) district "do you prefer A or B?"</div>
<div class="plain_line"> </div>
<div class="plain_line">More seriously, though, isn't this illegal? I had the impression that states were allowed to basically use whatever method they want to pick their electors.</div>
<div class="plain_line"> </div>
<div class="plain_line">-km</div>
<div class="plain_line">----</div>
<div class="plain_line">Election-Methods mailing list - see <a href="https://electorama.com/em" style="">https://electorama.com/em</a> for list info</div>
<div class="plain_line"> </div>
</blockquote></div>
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