(Madison, Wisconsin) – On December 14, the State Senate Elections Committee will hold a hearing on Senate Bill 250Co-authored by Senators Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield) and Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire) and Representatives Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc) and Daniel Riemer (D-Milwaukee), the bill would update the election method for federal congressional elections in Wisconsin to Final-Five Voting, the powerful combination of top-five primaries and instant runoff general elections. This important step demonstrates growing traction and support for Final-Five Voting in Wisconsin.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once said that the states are laboratories of democracy. Each state has the responsibility and opportunity to enact changes to resolve the partisan dysfunction in Washington. Final-Five Voting promises to be one step toward that worthy goal. In joint, bipartisan testimony today, the co-authors continue to work collaboratively to advance this legislation that will make federal elections better serve Wisconsinites.

Statements from Co-Authors:

Sen. Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield): “In politics, as in business, I know that competition results in better outcomes. That’s why I’m proud to be working with colleagues in the legislature on both sides on this legislation. I appreciate my colleagues in the Senate Elections Committee hearing this important piece of legislation.”

Sen. Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire): “I regularly ‘Stop N Talk’ in my red truck around western Wisconsin, and it’s clear how frustrated Wisconsinites are with our broken politics. Final-Five Voting is a solution I can talk about with everyone because it focuses on systemic changes that give voters more choice and voice, which is ultimately what they want. I’m glad to be talking about it with my colleagues today.”

Rep. Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc): “After serving our country for two decades in the U.S. Army, where we weren’t on the red team or the blue team, it’s clear to me that we need more of that spirit of service in our politics. We can and should have spirited policy disagreement, but we ultimately need a Congress that can solve real problems. Final-Five Voting realigns incentives to better empower our representatives to serve our American team. That is worth fighting for.”

Rep. Daniel Riemer (D-Milwaukee): “We agree that we need Final-Five Voting to get Congress working again. This new approach enables collaboration and results in Congress, but does not require politicians or voters to abandon their political views or parties (we co-authors will proudly remain members of ours). We believe that Final-Five Voting will encourage politicians to reach across the aisle to solve big problems in a consensus-building way.”

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