Elected Together Representation Framework
Elected Together is a dual-representation voting system designed to elect both a Majority and a Minority representative sharing the voting power of two seats within a legislative body—such as a House or Senate chamber.
This framework ensures that governance reflects both dominant and dissenting voices, fostering:
- Inclusion of diverse perspectives
- Accountability to the full electorate
- Shared stewardship of civic responsibility
How It Works
In an Elected Together election:
- The Majority Seat holder receives voting power proportional to their electoral support—must always exceeding 50% of the combined two-seat vote.
Example: With 60% of the vote, the Majority holds the equivalent of 1.2 seats. - The Minority Seat holder receives the remaining voting power, representing the portion of the electorate not aligned with the majority.
Example: If the Majority holds 1.2 seats the Minority holds 0.8 seats.
Together, these representatives embody a balanced mandate—honoring both consensus and critique, unity and plurality. The result is a governance model that invites collaboration, respects dissent and reflects the full spectrum of civic voice.
Elected Together Election Process
Step 1: Majority Seat Selection
- All voters participate in a Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) election.
- The candidate who ultimately earns over 50% of the vote—using Elected Together’s RCV methodology—is awarded the Majority Seat.
Calculating Voting Power
The voting power of the Majority Seat is determined by whichever of the following two methods yields the higher total:
- Proportional share of all ballots that contributed to the candidate’s victory, including split exhausted ballots.
- Raw count of ballots listing the winning candidate as first or second choice.
This total defines the voting power the Majority Seat holder will wield during their first year in office.
Ballot Removal for Minority Selection
Once the Majority Seat is filled:
- All ballots used in deciding the voting power of the Majority Seat—except exhausted ballots—are removed from the voting pool.
- Any ballot listing the Majority candidate as second choice are also removed, regardless of whether it contributed to the voting power calculation.
This safeguard prevents ideological duplication between the two representatives, preserving space for meaningful dissent and minority representation.
Running the Election
Initial Count
- If any candidate receives over 50% of first-choice ballots, they are elected to the Majority Seat.
- If not, runoffs begin.
First Runoff
- The candidate(s) with the fewest first-choice ballots are eliminated.
- If there’s a tie for lowest ranked, all tied candidates are eliminated simultaneously.
- Their ballots are redistributed to the next viable ranked candidate or marked exhausted if no viable ranking remains.
Subsequent Runoffs: Sequential Elimination
- In later rounds, if a tie occurs, the candidate with the fewest votes overall is eliminated.
- Exhausted ballots are split proportionally among remaining candidates until one reaches a majority.
Step 2: Minority Seat Selection
- Remaining ballots, including exhausted ones and those not used in assigning Majority voting power, are re-tabulated using RCV.
- The candidate with the most support from this subset is awarded the Minority Seat.
- The Minority representative receives the remaining portion of voting power not allocated to the Majority.
Example: If the Majority holds 1.6 seats, the Minority holds 0.4.
Ongoing Accountability: Annual Stewardship Vote
Each year during a Senator’s or Representative’s term, voters return to the polls to decide which of their two representatives will wield their vote in the coming year.
This Annual Stewardship Vote reinforces:
- Responsiveness to constituents
- Renewal of public trust
- Shared governance between Majority and Minority voices
The Size of Congress:
By voting for both State Senators at the same time, and by doubling the size of house districts, Elected Together would not increase the overall size of the congress.