Here you will find important updates in the world of instant runoff voting and events to attend that help spread the word of IRV/RCV in SC.

What does instant runoff voting do?

Here we talk a lot about instant runoff voting. It's kind of our thing. But why? Today we continue our series on the benefits of instant runoff voting, continuing with the elimination of vote splitting. Looking for news and events? Scroll down. They're still here.

I have heard people from across the political spectrum and across the state talk about needing to vote for the lesser of two evils. If you're unfamiliar with this concept, it's the idea that you cannot actually vote for the person who you think will do the best job or aligns most ideologically with you because that person doesn't actually have a chance of winning.

There are are candidates who run every day who are qualified and intelligent, but for a variety of reason, may not seem like they have a path towards victory. If you vote for that dream candidate, you're taking your vote away from someone who doesn't share as many views with you, but is perceived as having a better chance of winning. That can provide a path to victory for the person you don't align with. 

Essentially, two candidates who are similarly aligned will split the vote and allow the outlier candidate to win the election. That alignment can be ideological, racial, gender, or anything that candidates can have in common.

But we have the solution: instant runoff voting. Since you are ranking your candidates in the order that you prefer them, you can have back up choices. If your preferred candidate doesn't have a path to victory, your vote transfers to your back up choice. You have still shown your support for your preferred candidate, but the back up choices allow you to not split the vote.

This is particularly salient today because filing for many municipal races ended today. There will be many examples of vote splitting across the state, but let's take a look at our state's capital: Columbia. Any time that there are three or more candidates, there is the chance of vote splitting. Check out the races below, because they are ripe for it.

Mayor of Columbia

• Wade Fulmer, Jr
• Daniel J Rickenmann
• Jessica S Thomas

City Council District 4

• Peter M Brown
• Julie Lumpkin
• Ashley McCall

City Council At-Large

• Tony Bowen
• Aditi Bussells
• Jared Johnson
• Sam Johnson

We need instant runoff/ranked choice voting now. Donate today to help make this necessary change in our elections.

Social Media!

Do you follow us on your favorite platform? Please do! And remember to like, comment, and share. Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, Blue Sky, and TikTok

Are you interested in contributing to our social media presence? We'd love to hear from you! Funny or poignant memes? Let's see 'em! Something graphics-focused on a relevant news item? Send 'em our way! Let's get creative! This easy to use form has everything you need.

Great events to get plugged in!

Statewide Strategy Call: August 26, 6:30pm. Our monthly meeting are the 4th Tuesday of the month! Join us to recap the month and discuss the future, locally. Join us in Columbia, Charleston, or virtually. Everyone will meet on the call and have a quick recap of what the state of the movement in South Carolina is and then we'll break into local groups.

IRV 101 + Social Media Ambassadorship: August 28, 7pm. Whether you're new to the instant runoff voting movement or you've been around since the beginning, join us to pick up new knowledge. Plus, you can learn to utilize social media to its fullest potential! Social media is a great organizing tool, if used properly.

Workers of Billionaires: September 1, 10am. This us a great opportunity to spread the word to politically active people. Join fellow supporters in showing future supporters how they can have greater voice in how our government functions.

Letter to the Editor Training: every 1st Monday of the month, 8pm. Join other IRV enthusiasts in crafting letters for your local newsletters. Best practices and strategies will be discussed. All questions answered. By dedicating focused time to writing LTEs on a regular basis, you can help boost the IRV signal in your community and across the country.

IRV Pitch Training: Thursdays at 8pm. Learn how to pitch Instant Runoff Voting when canvassing on the street or at an event from a Rank the Vote National Organizer! We'll talk about best practices, and have opportunities for you to practice in a friendly environment. All questions welcome.

DONATE

Highlights in Instant Runoff Voting

(https://alaskabeacon.com/2025/08/07/in-veto-override-some-alaska-republicans-saw-an-opportunity-for-education-compromise/)

Plus:

How ranked choice voting improved New York City’s campaigns: A view from the ground: FairVote

GET INVOLVED

The country is abuzz right now about the "Redistricting Wars." Rarely does something something so nerdy and esoteric break into the country's consciousness as boldly as this. 

If you haven't been following, a brief summary: President Trump urged Texas to do a mid-decade redistrict (unheard of but doesn't seem to be illegal) to further partisan gerrymander (also not illegal) Texas to favor Republicans. Blue states, California in particular, is moving in the direction of responding in kind to balance out their efforts. Gerrymandering is generally seen as a problem because it is viewed as our elected officials picking their voters instead of voters picking their elected officials. 

But we're all about giving voters MORE choice and MORE voice, not less. So we have a solution: Proportional representation. Check out more below:

If you can keep it: The fight over redistricting in Texas: 1A

David Daley on CNN: X

“PR” Should Stand for Proportional Representation, Not Petty Redistricting: R Street

H.3589 Municipal Option Bill

This bill will give municipalities the option of using instant runoff voting in elections. Last session we got a hearing, this year we want to go even further, but we need your help.

We are looking for:

Cosponsors

We are actively looking for cosponsors for this municipal option bill. The best way to do this is to sit down with legislatures and have a conversation with them about the benefits of IRV. We know that talking to our legislators can be intimidating. If you would like to meet with your elected officials or have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. We can provide support and guidance.

Postcards

We'll be hand delivering postcards from constituents. Do you want your legislator to know you support IRV or have a group of friends who would like to submit them? Great! Let us know and we'll send them to you.

Municipal Resolutions

Municipalities are directly impacted by our bill, which would give towns and cities the option of using instant runoff voting. We want to show the legislature that this is something that they want. Municipalities can do this by passing resolutions in support of IRV. To learn how, please fill out this interest form.

Speaking Opportunities

When people hear about instant runoff voting, they like it. If you are a part of a group that hosts speakers, please consider a Better Ballot SC speaker. We'd love to spread the word among your network.

Are you looking for a flyer to hang up at your local community board? Or maybe something to handout to people? Check out our Printables!

We have an easy way to get involved! Sign our petition! Show your support of instant runoff voting by signing and sharing. Remember to share it to your social media!

If you like what you've read here and would like us to continue our efforts, please donate. We're building momentum here in South Carolina. Help us continue to educate our fellow South Carolinians. Consider making a monthly contribution. It helps us to better strategize our long term goals.

Thank you for reading,

Nicole Sanchez,

President, BetterBallotSC
https://www.betterballotsc.org/