March 18, 2024
The Honorable Brad Halbrook
200-1N Stratton Office Building
Springfield, IL 62706
Dear Representative Halbrook,
On behalf of the over 2.1 million members of AMAC – Association of Mature American Citizens, including over 71,200 members residing in Illinois, I write to offer our support for H.B. 5195, a bill intended to prohibit ranked choice voting in Illinois.
AMAC Members consider their God-given right to vote as sacred. They want this right protected and perpetuated for their children and grandchildren. Our membership has shared their concern about ranked-choice voting and its threat to the proper administration of elections.
First and foremost, we must look at the complexity created by RCV compared to the current system. Our current system’s simplicity is its strongest feature, one person has one vote for one candidate for each open office. RCV does the opposite by forcing voters to choose multiple candidates, including some for whom they have little information, creating confusion.
Also, the RCV model can be especially difficult for senior Americans who have spent more than 30 years using the simple and effective one-person, one-vote system. The complexity of RCV will lead to the disenfranchisement of voters who are unfamiliar with how to rank their choices. RCV is also more likely to lead to errors on the ballot, and those errors hide the true intent of the voting public.
AMAC members care deeply about election integrity and the need for free and fair elections. AMAC Action echoes their concerns because the evidence shows that ranked-choice voting corrupts the democratic process. AMAC Action is grateful that your bill protects it and is pleased to offer our organization’s full support for H.B. 5195.
Sincerely,
Bob Carlstrom
President
AMAC Action
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Voter satisfaction with our congress hovers around 20% but incumbents are reelected about 90% of the time. Something is terribly wrong. If we continue to vote the same way we will continue to get the same results, political polarization and gridlocked government. AMAC has its head in the sand.