Bill · H.Res. 20· House(119-HRES-20)
Establishing the Select Committee on Electoral Reform.
- Introduced
- 1/7/2025
- Last activity
- 1/7/2025 — Referred to the House Committee on Rules.
- Sponsored by
- Marie Perez
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
A House resolution is the House speaking for itself: stating a position, honouring someone, or setting its own rules. Adopting it is the whole process. Once the House agrees to it, it is officially the House's word; it is not a law, so the Senate and the President have no part in it.
What this bill would do
This resolution sets up a temporary group in the House called the Select Committee on Electoral Reform. This committee will consist of 14 members and is tasked with looking into how we currently elect members of Congress. They will check out alternative voting methods, like ranked-choice voting, open primaries, and proportional representation, to see if they make Congress work better. The committee also needs to hold hearings and listen to experts on these election methods. Within one year of their first meeting, the committee must write and issue a final report with their recommendations. Finally, the committee does not have the power to write or pass actual laws, and it will shut down shortly after finishing its report.
Yes· 3 of 7
Does this make elections run better?+4
The creation of this committee is explicitly intended to investigate reforms to improve the responsiveness and accountability of the electoral process.
Does this leave more decisions to the states?+3
The resolution directs the committee to examine ways to remove federal barriers that currently prevent states from experimenting with alternative electoral systems.
Does this protect the right to vote?+3
The committee is tasked with studying electoral reforms such as ranked-choice voting and multi-member districts to potentially improve democratic participation.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Section 3(a)(2): This part of the bill requires the committee to look at alternative voting methods like ranked-choice voting, open primaries, and proportional representation. This is good because it gives our elected officials a chance to seriously study ways to make politics more responsive and accountable to everyday people.
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Section 3(a)(3): The committee must hold hearings to take testimony from experts, including political scientists and officials from places that already use alternative voting methods. This is positive because it ensures decisions are based on real-world evidence and what has actually worked for others.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Section 5(c): The bill explicitly states that the Select Committee has no legislative jurisdiction and cannot take legislative action on any bill or resolution. This could be seen as a negative because it means the committee's time and taxpayer-funded work might just result in a report without any guarantee that actual improvements will be voted on or passed into law.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Electoral Process+4Increase States Rights+3Improves Government Transparency+2
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Voting Access+3Improves Voting Rights+3
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Rural Residents+1Good For Urban Residents+1
- 1/7/2025
- Submitted in House
- Referred to the House Committee on Rules.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
Jared GoldenDemocrat · Maine