A clear, mechanical explanation of the Elected Together representation system.

Elected Together uses a dual‑representation framework to elect both a Majority Representative and a Minority Representative using Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). This system ensures that the vast majority of voters end up represented by someone they genuinely support — without increasing the size of the House or Senate.

Voting Power: The Two‑Seat Framework

Elected Together assigns voting power based on a two‑seat scale:

• The Majority Representative receives voting power equal to their share of community support.
• The Minority Representative receives the remainder.

Example

If the Majority receives 60% support:

• Majority Representative: 1.2 seats worth of voting power
• Minority Representative: 0.8 seats worth of voting power

If the Majority receives 70% support:

• Majority Representative: 1.4 seats
• Minority Representative: 0.6 seats

This proportional structure ensures that:

• the Majority always holds more voting power
• the Minority always holds meaningful voting power
• representation mirrors the actual community

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 Majority Voting Power

The voting power of the Majority Seat is determined by whichever of the following two methods yields the higher total:

1. Proportional share of all ballots that contributed to the candidate’s victory, including split exhausted ballots.
2. Raw count of ballots listing the winning candidate as first or second choice.

Whichever number is higher becomes the Majority Representative’s voting power for their first year in office.

BALLOT REMOVAL FOR MINORITY SELECTION

Once the Majority Seat is filled:

• All ballots used in calculating the Majority Seat’s voting power — except exhausted ballots — are removed from the voting pool.
• Any ballot listing the Majority candidate as second choice is also removed, even if it did not contribute to the voting‑power calculation.

This safeguard prevents ideological duplication between the two representatives and preserves 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 is 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 candidate reaches a majority.

STEP 2: MINORITY SEAT SELECTION

After ballot removal:

• 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 seats.

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

Elected Together does not increase the size of Congress.

• Both State Senators are elected at the same time.
• House districts are doubled in size, allowing two representatives to serve the same constituency.
  States with an odd number of House seats have the voting power of the extra seat prorated across their active representatives, preserving both the total number of representatives and the total voting power in Congress.

This preserves the current number of elected officials while enabling dual representation.