Join us for canvassing at Read Our Lips in Columbia. We'll bring the clipboards and pens, you bring the enthusiasm and smiles!

We'll be speaking to attendees about the benefits of instant runoff voting (also known as ranked choice voting). Scripts will be provided. We will also be registering voters.

Please sign up today.

Join us for canvassing at the Just Us Girls Talk in Columbia. We'll bring the clipboards and pens, you bring the enthusiasm and smiles!

We'll be speaking to attendees about the benefits of instant runoff voting (also known as ranked choice voting). Scripts will be provided. We will also be registering voters.

Please sign up for a shift today.

H.3589

Sponsored by Dr. Jermaine Johnson (D-52), Neal Collins (R-5), Spencer Wetmore (D-115)

H.3589 will give municipalities the option of using instant runoff voting (also known as ranked choice voting). Not only does instant runoff voting save money by eliminating costly runoffs while still maintaining majority support, it also incentivizes campaigns and candidates for the better. To learn more, visit our Why IRV? page.

This bill needs cosponsors! Contact your representative today to tell them that you support instant runoff voting and that they should cosponsor H.3589 today!

Send your legislators a message:

Messages to South Carolina Legislators now need to be directed through the message center on each legislator's Statehouse page. For a detailed walk through of the steps below, please click here.

Step 1: Determine who your legislators are and click the send them a message button on their individual legislator pages. We request that you contact your State Representative and State Senator with slightly different asks referenced below.

Step 2: Use the sample language below to ask your representatives to co-sponsor H.3589. We encourage you to include any personal stories that involve instant runoff voting such as; having trouble voting in a runoff; using an instant runoff ballot through the SC's UOCAVA voter program; or using instant runoff voting in another state.

State Representative:

"

Thank you for taking the time to review my request today. I am one of your constituents and a part of a coalition of organizations representing thousands of South Carolinians.

Runoff elections are costly and under-attended. A bipartisan bill, H.3589, was reintroduced into the House that would give the option to municipalities to implement a better process to run their elections. Instant runoff voting would streamline the runoff system, and it’s already how our uniformed and overseas South Carolinians can vote (Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voters Act). I am requesting that you cosponsor this new bill by contacting either Representatives Neal Collins or Jermaine Johnson.

Not only would results be determined sooner, but it would improve our elections. It would protect against vote splitting by allowing voters to support all candidates who align with their views.

It would also allow parties to build their bench without fear of splitting the vote. It would minimize strategic voting and allow voters to express their will without compromising their values.

It would also curb negative campaigning, allowing legislators/candidates to focus on their policies rather than on defense. This would help grow your base by bringing more people together over the issues.

It would also give winners a more secure mandate to govern since majority support is determined from a larger pool of voters than a traditional runoff. When more voters are satisfied with the winner, there’s more confidence in elections.

For all of the above reasons and more, please cosponsor the Instant Runoff Voting Option for municipalities.

Thank you again for your time.

"

State Senator:

"

Thank you for taking the time to review my request today. I am one of your constituents and a part of a coalition of organizations representing thousands of South Carolinians.

Runoff elections are costly and under-attended. A bipartisan bill, H.3589, was reintroduced into the House that would give the option to municipalities to implement a better process to run their elections. Instant runoff voting would streamline the runoff system, and it’s already how our uniformed and overseas South Carolinians can vote (Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voters Act). I am requesting that you introduce a companion bill by contacting either Representatives Neal Collins or Jermaine Johnson.

Not only would results be determined sooner, but it would improve our elections. It would protect against vote splitting by allowing voters to support all candidates who align with their views.

It would also allow parties to build their bench without fear of splitting the vote. It would minimize strategic voting and allow voters to express their will without compromising their values.

It would also curb negative campaigning, allowing legislators/candidates to focus on their policies rather than on defense. This would help grow your base by bringing more people together over the issues.

It would also give winners a more secure mandate to govern since majority support is determined from a larger pool of voters than a traditional runoff. When more voters are satisfied with the winner, there’s more confidence in elections.

For all of the above reasons and more, please introduce a companion bill for Instant Runoff Voting Option for municipalities.

Thank you again for your time.

"

If your representative is Dr. Jermaine Johnson, we encourage you to contact him anyway and thank them.

Interested in calling instead?

Click here to find out who your legislators are and for contact information.

If you would like to call, here is a sample message:

SC House of Representatives

"

My name is _____. I am a constituent and I would like you to cosponsor H.3589. I am a part of a coalition of organizations representing thousands of South Carolinians. Giving municipalities the option to use instant runoff voting in their elections will benefit both the voters and the government. It will save time and money. It minimizes strategic voting and allows voters to express their will without compromising their values. It also protects against vote splitting by allowing voters to support all candidates who align with their views, and because of that, allows parties to build their bench. Additionally, it discourages negative campaigning, allowing candidates to focus on policy and not defense. Finally, it’s how our overseas absentee voters can vote. All South Carolinians should have this option for their municipalities.

For all of these reasons and more, please cosponsor H.3589.

"

SC Senate

"

My name is _____. I am a constituent and and I would like you to introduce a companion bill to H.3589. I am a part of a coalition of organizations representing thousands of South Carolinians. Giving municipalities the option to use instant runoff voting in their elections will benefit both the voters and the government. It will save time and money. It minimizes strategic voting and allows voters to express their will without compromising their values. It also protects against vote splitting by allowing voters to support all candidates who align with their views, and because of that, allows parties to build their bench. Additionally, it discourages negative campaigning, allowing candidates to focus on policy and not defense. Finally, it’s how our overseas absentee voters can vote. All South Carolinians should have this option for their municipalities.

For all of these reasons and more, please cosponsor H.3589.

"

If you would like to set up a meeting with your representative, we would be happy to help you. Email us at [email protected]

Are you interested in becoming a part of the voting reform effort in South Carolina? Let's expand instant runoff voting (also known as ranked choice voting) in South Carolina and give voters More Voice and More Choice.

We've been working to educate voters about this common sense upgrade to the way that we currently vote. Join us to Better the South Carolina Ballot by RSVPing for our monthly statewide strategy meeting.

Not in Columbia or Charleston or unable to attend in person? No worries! The more the merrier. After our statewide update, we'll break into smaller groups based on region and we'd love your input, from whatever corner of SC you're in!

Curious how it works? It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Join the call and we can go more in depth, but here are the basics:

When voters go to the polls, instead of voting for one, they rank their candidates. This gives voters More Voice and More Choice. If a voter's top choice has no path to victory, their vote is transferred to their second choice. This ensures majority support while eliminating costly runoffs. It also has some other great benefits:

• Reduces polarization and mudslinging
• Eliminates the spoiler effect and vote splitting
• Increases representation

Visit our Why IRV? page to learn more. Or come to the meeting!

Are you interested in becoming a part of the voting reform effort in South Carolina? Let's expand instant runoff voting (also known as ranked choice voting) in South Carolina and give voters More Voice and More Choice.

We've been working to educate voters about this common sense upgrade to the way that we currently vote. Join us to Better the South Carolina Ballot by RSVPing for our monthly statewide strategy call.

We're hybrid! Location: Main Charleston Library, 68 Calhoun St, Charleston, SC 29401. Prepare for a fun, informative time. We will begin the meeting virtually with a statewide recap and then break into local groups. Please arrive 15 minutes early to situate yourself and to chat with fellow supporters. Can't make it in person? That's alright too. You can join your local group virtually!

If you are attending in person, we will be holding a canned food collection drive. Help us fill Blessing boxes in the Charleston Area.

Curious how it works? It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Join the call and we can go more in depth, but here are the basics:

When voters go to the polls, instead of voting for one, they rank their candidates. This gives voters More Voice and More Choice. If a voter's top choice has no path to victory, their vote is transferred to their second choice. This ensures majority support while eliminating costly runoffs. It also has some other great benefits:

• Reduces polarization and mudslinging
• Eliminates the spoiler effect and vote splitting
• Increases representation

Visit our Why IRV? page to learn more. Or come to the meeting!

Are you interested in becoming a part of the voting reform effort in South Carolina? Let's expand instant runoff voting (also known as ranked choice voting) in South Carolina and give voters More Voice and More Choice.

We've been working to educate voters about this common sense upgrade to the way that we currently vote. Join us to Better the South Carolina Ballot by RSVPing for our monthly statewide strategy meeting.

We're going hybrid! Columbia's meeting will be located at Bierkeller Brewing Company (600 Canalside St Suite 1009, Columbia, SC 29201). Prepare for a fun, informative time. We will begin the meeting virtually with a statewide recap and then break into local groups. Please arrive 15 minutes early to situate yourself and to chat with fellow supporters. Can't make it in person? That's alright too. You can join your local group virtually!

If you are attending in person, we will be holding a food drive. Please bring canned or other dried goods to donate to Food Not Bombs. They prefer canned vegetables.

Curious how it works? It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Join the call and we can go more in depth, but here are the basics:

When voters go to the polls, instead of voting for one, they rank their candidates. This gives voters More Voice and More Choice. If a voter's top choice has no path to victory, their vote is transferred to their second choice. This ensures majority support while eliminating costly runoffs. It also has some other great benefits:

• Reduces polarization and mudslinging
• Eliminates the spoiler effect and vote splitting
• Increases representation

Visit our Why IRV? page to learn more. Or come to the meeting!

The best way to learn is by doing and here is a great way to see just how easy it is to vote using instant runoff voting.

SPLIT

Curious to see how instant runoff voting works with political candidates? Check out some of the results from our Presidential Primary Polls

To learn more about this great electoral reform, visit our Why IRV page

Click the links below to see the many letters to the editor and opinion pieces that IRV supporters have had published in local newspapers

Letters: The Post and Courier

January 28, 2024, "Improve SC Politics" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/opinions-letters-improve-politics-state-bad-planning/article_21fe1128-d44f-11ef-b290-7343359ca498.html

Opinion: The Daniel Island News

August 7, 2024, "Instant Runoff Voting Can Change Elections for the Better" https://www.thedanielislandnews.com/opinions/instant-runoff-voting-can-change-elections-better

Commentary: The Post and Courier

July 18, 2024, "Ranked-choice voting, open primaries can help bring civility back to politics" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/ranked-choice-voting-open-primaries-divisive-political-rhetoric/article_c9ef90dc-43ae-11ef-8be0-ffe9cd6dbf97.html

Editorial: The Post and Courier

June 29, 2024, "Tuesday's runoffs underscores a need for instant-runoff voting" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/instant-runoff-would-up-sc-voter-participation/article_b822f848-3400-11ef-99f3-abd63122a7f9.html

Letter: The State

June 14, 2024, "A move to instant runoff voting would reduce costs and end the state's "archaic" system" https://www.thestate.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article289272745.html

Editorial: The Post and Courier

June 13, 2024, "Trusting the mail could cost you your vote in June 25 SC primary runoff" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/slow-mail-threatens-sc-runoff-ballots/article_30c085f2-21ca-11ef-a2b9-179972a5b416.html

Opinion: The State

June 6, 2024, "Four election reforms that would expand voter choice and chip away at incumbency" https://www.thestate.com/opinion/article288999169.html

Editorial: The Post and Courier

January 15, 2024, "SC's military and overseas voters get this option. Why don't the rest of us?" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/sc-overseas-military-voters-use-instant-runoff/article_aaf79aaa-b0ea-11ee-9b40-1f8f8597b1bc.html

Letter to the Editor: The Post and Courier

January 14, 2024, "South Carolina should try ranked-choice voting" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/south-carolina-ranked-choice-voting/article_b008a448-a9b1-11ee-9340-43b25b31fdb0.html

Letter to the Editor: The Post and Courier

December 20, 2023, "Ranked-choice voting can transform politics" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/ranked-choice-voting-can-transform-politics-in-charleston/article_c39e4f56-8ed3-11ee-90b7-6f507f13ba0b.html

Editorial: The Post and Courier

December 16, 2023, "Charleston should back efforts to allow ranked-choice voting" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-charleston-should-back-effort-to-allow-ranked-choice-voting/article_fe984376-9a88-11ee-be6e-afef89f316ef.html

Editorial: The Post and Courier

December 1, 2023, "Local elections went fairly well. This change would improve them" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-local-elections-went-fairly-well-this-change-would-improve-them/article_0a9fc300-8afe-11ee-b676-7bac42a95dc8.html

Editorial: The Post and Courier

November 25, 2023, "A change North Charleston needs to make" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-a-change-north-charleston-needs-to-make/article_66447efa-8971-11ee-af14-8bb93b3cdc9f.html

Editorial: The Post and Courier

November 13, 2023, "North Charleston averted an electoral disaster, or did it?" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-north-charleston-averted-an-electoral-disaster-or-did-it/article_30132ce0-7e73-11ee-9d15-fb9d2fcd5b7b.html

Our View: Charleston City Paper

November 10, 2023, "Elections show need for new voting process" https://charlestoncitypaper.com/2023/11/10/our-view-elections-show-need-for-new-voting-process/

Opinion: The Post and Courier

August 19, 2023, "Haley-Scott-Youngkin argument should prompt change in SC primary rules" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-haley-scott-youngkin-argument-should-prompt-change-in-sc-primary-rules/article_0e61aac0-3bae-11ee-8070-3f7efae1ed7e.html

My Turn: The Statehouse Report

August 18, 2023, "Instant runoff voting could fix broken election system" https://www.statehousereport.com/2023/08/18/my-turn-instant-runoff-voting-could-fix-broken-election-system/

Commentary: The Post and Courier

August 15, 2023, "Ranked-choice primary would increase odds of Haley or Scott win" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/commentary-ranked-choice-primary-would-increase-odds-of-haley-or-scott-win/article_4311ecb0-3971-11ee-9406-b3e8a9caf425.html

Opinion: The Post and Courier

August 4, 2023, "When fewer candidates actually give voters a clearer choice" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-when-fewer-candidates-actually-gives-voters-a-clearer-choice/article_5d98b52a-2fb5-11ee-a54d-0f1c81068dad.html

Letter to the Editor: The Post and Courier

June 8, 2023, "Ranked choice voting would force candidates to campaign in all states" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letters-ranked-choice-voting-would-force-candidates-to-campaign-in-all-states/article_189c6ff6-f41a-11ed-be0e-57383319132d.html

Opinion: The Post and Courier

April 17, 2023, "SC House has time to fix small election glitch this year, maybe a larger one too" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-sc-house-has-time-to-fix-small-election-glitch-this-year-maybe-larger-one/article_1129bb6a-dd2d-11ed-ba81-7f3cf520b800.html

Opinion: The Post and Courier

April 15, 2023, "North Charleston must fix its flawed city elections while it still can" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-north-charleston-must-fix-its-flawed-city-elections-while-it-still-can/article_c1f03680-d9fa-11ed-9a07-5f27c39d8264.html

Letter to the Editor: The Post and Courier

Mar 21, 2023, "Support instant runoff for municipal elections in SC" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letters-support-instant-runoff-for-municipal-elections-in-sc/article_598a7ea0-b940-11ed-97bf-dbf95e736f20.html

Letter to the Editor: The Sun News

Mar 14, 2023, "Simplify Elections" https://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article272982180.html

Letter to the Editor: The Times and Democrat

Mar 9, 2023, "Ranked voting vs runoff" https://thetandd.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article_0655db9d-6e02-5c18-bc91-f1990d41a902.html

Opinion: Post and Courier

Feb 25, 2023, "A 13% salary increase? North Charleston's political plan is ill conceived" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-a-13-salary-increase-north-charlestons-political-pay-plan-is-ill-considered/article_517a3410-b2ee-11ed-94bc-f3bdf56f9041.html

Our View: Charleston City Paper

Feb 1, 2023, "Defend Democracy Now, More Than Ever" https://charlestoncitypaper.com/2023/02/01/our-view-defend-democracy-now-more-than-ever/

Letter to the Editor: The State

Jan 22, 2023, "Letter: Support RCV" https://www.thestate.com/article271404912.html

Commentary: Post and Courier

Jan 22, 2023, "Ranked choice voting means more voices and more choices for South Carolinians" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/commentary-ranked-choice-voting-means-more-voices-choices-for-south-carolinians/article_eb142834-9821-11ed-bcc9-bf2880c525a0.html

Opinion: Post and Courier

Nov 19, 2022, "Scoppe: Ranked-choice voting just keeps growing. It’s time for SC to expand its use here" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/scoppe-ranked-choice-voting-just-keeps-growing-its-time-for-sc-to-expand-its-use/article_674bb5e6-6548-11ed-8f44-17fa572bad58.html

Letter to the Editor: Post and Courier

Nov 18, 2022, "Ranked Choice" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letters-250-committees-research-revolutionary-war-in-sc/article_3008f0c6-4ef0-11ed-b062-af32c4ad8630.html This article won the Golden Pen Award: https://www.postandcourier.com/letter-on-ranked-choice-voting-wins-golden-pen-for-november/article_7d3e13bc-7b1e-11ed-882e-f77cad6b91e5.html

Opinion: Post and Courier

August 14, 2022, "An important reminder of how elections work and how SCs could work better" https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-an-important-reminder-of-how-elections-work-and-how-scs-could-work-better/article_70e99370-1750-11ed-8372-1f26839ee521.html

Opinion: The State

February 2022, "Want to change SC politics for the better? Vote incumbents out, Columbia resident urges" https://www.thestate.com/opinion/article258132688.html

Letter to the Editor: Greenville News

October 30, 2020, "Why South Carolina Lawmakers Should Get Behind Ranked Choice Voting" https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/opinion/2021/10/30/letter-congress-should-fund-switch-ranked-choice-voting/8565312002/

Are we missing any? Let us know at [email protected]

Instant runoff voting or IRV (also known as ranked choice voting) is a simple, common sense upgrade to the way that we vote that solves multiple problems

Why IRV?

Save Time and Money with IRV

• The state of South Carolina spent over $830,000 just in primary runoffs in 2018 and over 1 million dollars in 2022. What a waste! See more wasted money figures here.
• Runoffs occur when no candidate in the race achieves 50% of the vote. Runoffs are most prevalent in primaries, but many places in South Carolina require the candidate to secure at least 50% of the vote. When they do not, a runoff election is triggered and voters need to return to the polls in two weeks.
  • Runoffs generally have a much lower voter turnout compared to regular elections.
• With IRV, voters only need to vote once. This saves time and money. Plus, it ensures that more than 50% of the voters have voted for the winner.
• Currently, our overseas military and absentee voters can use an instant runoff ballot.

Encourages Competition

• Everyone loves a good competition: more choices mean that we can more easily find a candidate who represents our will.
• Since voters can rank their choices on a single ballot, we can vote for the best candidate with the best ideas instead of voting strategically. Ranking back up choices increases the likelihood that a candidate you support ultimately wins.

Promotes Majority Support

• Not all South Carolina elections result in a runoff if a candidate secures less than 50% of the vote. That means that we have elected officials for whom the majority of South Carolinians did not vote.
  • In 2018 there were 79 races where the winner did not secure majority support
• With IRV, we don't have to go back to the polls to ensure majority support because we rank our candidates all at once. Every winner will have secured majority support.

Discourages Negative Campaigning

• Since voters rank their choices, candidates also want to be voter's second and third choices.

• In non-IRV elections, candidates benefit from mudslinging and attacking their opponent instead of sharing their positive vision and policies with voters. This can lead to increasingly toxic and polarizing campaigns.

• With IRV, candidates also compete for second choice votes from their opponents’ supporters which lessens the incentive to run a negative campaign. In IRV contests, candidates do best when they reach out positively to as many voters as possible, including those supporting their opponents.

Other Benefits

• Reduces polarization
• Encourages greater representation
  • Candidates are sometimes pressured to stay out of the race for fear of splitting the vote with another similar candidate. This can be particularly true for candidates from groups under-represented in elected office, such as people of color and women. 
• Minimizes strategic voting by eliminating vote splitting and the spoiler effect
  

How Does It Work

Instant Runoff Voting is a simple upgrade to the way we currently vote.

Right now, when you vote, you pick one candidate. With Instant Runoff Voting, you get to rank candidates in the order that you prefer them: 1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice, and so on. If your first choice can’t win, your vote automatically transfers to your second choice.

If a candidate secures more than 50% of the vote in the first round, then nothing is different and the candidate wins. However, if a candidate does not receive 50% of the vote, the candidate who has secured the fewest votes is eliminated and anyone who voted for that candidate has their vote transferred to their second pick. This process continues until a candidate reached 50%. This ensures that every vote counts and the candidate who won has majority support.

It's that simple. We rank all kinds of things in our lives. We all have favorites and second choices, even third choices. Better Ballot SC wants to upgrade all South Carolinians to this common sense way of voting.

Here's an example of a sample BBQ Ballot:

What Others Are Saying

Cato Institute: Reasons to Like Ranked Choice Voting

FairVote: What Unites Utah Republicans and Democrats? Ranked Choice Voting

Washington Post: How Ranked Choice Voting Saved the Virginia GOP From Itself

Videos on IRV/RCV

Fair Vote has been educating the public about the benefits of Instant Runoff Voting for years. Check out one of their videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqblOq8BmgM

The Utah Republican Party used IRV in their National Convention. See their explainer video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie2tyRlj6Bw

Check out this video that talks about voting for the lesser of two evils: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6pC5IJirrY