Ever since we started Election Reformers Network, I’ve been using the email tagline: “Fundamentally, we are not a divided people, but we do need to fix our rules.” So I was very pleased to see a New York Times Opinion piece today by law professor Tim Wu pointing out how much Americans agree on key policy questions….
SKINNING THE DEMOCRATIC CAT We Americans find our ourselves today in a crisis of democracy. Our institutions don’t seem to work. They produce polarizing results. Gridlock and political stasis are prevalent. Visions of the future are bleak, featuring continued and increased stressing of our democratic institutions and traditions until they risk reaching the breaking point….
Five years ago, during a previous government shutdown, I used my downtime to research one of the most frequently cited quotes about democracy, which I then shared with a small group of friends and colleagues. Given the seeming “no way out” of the current predicament and the growing frustrations with the dysfunctional U.S. political system,…
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…
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…
KEVIN JOHNSON and ROB RICHIE 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…
