[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5679 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5679

   To provide that a State may use a proportional voting system for 
                   multiseat congressional districts.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 15, 2000

 Ms. McKinney introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide that a State may use a proportional voting system for 
                   multiseat congressional districts.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may cited as the ``Voters' Choice Act''.

SEC. 2. MULTISEAT DISTRICTS PERMITTED FOR ELECTION OF REPRESENTATIVES 
              FOR STATES WITH A PROPORTIONAL VOTING SYSTEM.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding the Act entitled ``An Act for the 
relief of Doctor Ricardo Vallejo Samala and to provide for 
congressional redistricting'', approved December 14, 1967 (Public Law 
90-196; 2 U.S.C. 2c), a State that is entitled to more than one 
Representative in Congress may establish a number of districts for 
election of Representatives that is less than the number of 
Representatives to which the State is entitled, if and only if, that 
State uses a system that meets the following conditions:
            (1) It meets the constitutional standard of majority rule 
        and of individuals having equal voting power.
            (2) It ensures the election of any candidate who receives a 
        share of votes cast that is at least one vote greater than one-
        third of the total votes cast in the multiseat district.
    (b) No Restriction on Selection.--A State is not restricted to 
selecting systems that require candidates to obtain at least one vote 
more than one-third of the electorate in order to be elected. As long 
as the conditions specified in subsection (a) are met, a State may use 
systems that allow a smaller group of voters to elect Representatives.
    (c) Equality Requirement.--In a State that uses multiseat 
districts, the number of residents per Representative in a district 
shall be equal for all Representatives elected.
    (d) One-Seat Districts Allowed.--A State may use one-seat districts 
alone or in combination with multiseat districts.

SEC. 3. RELATION TO VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965.

    The rights and remedies established by this Act are in addition to 
all other rights and remedies provided by law, and the rights and 
remedies established by this Act shall not supersede, restrict, or 
limit the application of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 1973 
et seq.). Nothing in this Act authorizes or requires conduct that is 
prohibited by the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 1973 et seq.).
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