by Kevin Johnson in Opinion Dec 11, 2018 Among the many moments of President Bush’s life celebrated last week, I have a particular reason to focus on November 3, 1992, when Bush delivered what to me were the most important words of his presidency: “The people have spoken, and we respect the majesty of the democratic system.” When I…
Here’s a perspective on the midterm elections that hasn’t been talked about much: Trump country voted “yes” on election reform. The vast majority of counties that Trump won convincingly in 2016 joined the reform wave that swept much of the country on election day, enacting the largest number of pro-voter ballot initiatives in a half…
When the Pew Research Center polled Americans about gerrymandering in 2006, 89% of respondents had never heard the term or knew little about it. Fast forward twelve years and gerrymandering is a cause célèbre, a focal point for widespread concern over the state of our democracy. This year, five states vote on constitutional amendments to…
Research we conducted this week provides further evidence for the core argument of Election Reformers Network: that our rules themselves are a source of political dysfunction and partisanship. Political scientists measure partisanship with a tool call the NOMINATE score, which ranks Representatives and Senators based on their roll call votes (with +1 being extremely conservative, and -1…
California’s “top two” primary system didn’t create the disaster scenario Tuesday that some had predicted but still caused enough havoc to generate calls for reform. Among the ideas likely to come forward is a change to “top four plus ranked choice voting,” which would be a huge step forward for election reform in the US….
ROB RICHIE and KEVIN JOHNSON A ballot designed to show first, second, and third choices can lead to more mainstream candidates and less cantankerous politics. Regardless of who wins in November, the 2018 House elections are already making history. The House primaries, which started on March 5 in Texas and will continue into September, rank…
With the help of hundreds of chilly volunteers, and a last minute appearance from rock star John Fishman, the Committee for Ranked Choice gathered and submitted 80,000 signatures Friday to the Maine Secretary of State, and as a result a promising voting reform will be in use at a state-wide level for the first time…
The 2018 election season is sure to offer plenty of political drama – and plenty of anxiety for people concerned about our democracy. Alongside well-established issues like gerrymandering, money in elections, and voter access, 2018 will highlight a weakness in our system that hasn’t received much attention: the problem of crowded races decided by simple…
