Voter Choice Act of 2005
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on the Constitution.
Voter Choice Act of 2005 - Authorizes a state entitled to more than one Representative in Congress to establish a number of districts for election of Representatives that is less than the number of Representatives to which the state is entitled, as long as the Representatives are elected: (1) under a system meeting the constitutional standard of majority rule and of individuals having equal voting power; (2) the system ensures the election of any candidate in a multiseat district who receives a share of votes cast that is at least one vote greater than one-third of the total number of votes cast in the district; and (3) the number of residents per Representative is equal for all Representatives elected in the state.
Requires each state to conduct general elections for federal office held in the state during 2008 and each succeeding year using an instant runoff voting system, and ensure that the voting equipment and technology used to conduct the elections is compatible with such a system.
Establishes a program under which the Election Assistance Commission shall make grants to eligible states to defray the costs of administering an instant runoff voting system or a proportional voting system.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on May 26, 2005. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on July 1, 2005: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
CYNTHIA MCKINNEY (D-GA) introduced it on May 26, 2005. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 26, 2005, 7777 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7741 days ago, on July 1, 2005.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers