A reminder of why we’re putting voters first!
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Hi Friend,
Tax Day rolled around yet again this week, and if you remember what was on
your 1040, you probably remember seeing this question: “Do you want $3 of your
federal tax to go to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund?” This public
funding program was authorized many decades ago,and taxpayers have been opting
into it less and less
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In 1977, it was 28.6 percent of filers — but it’s been fewer than 9 percent of
them since 2007, and is approaching 3 percent today. CNNwrote
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participation in the fund in 2014: “Another possible reason for dwindling
contributions: growing frustration with Washington politics. ‘People are sick
of politics and saying, Why should I throw $3 in the pot?,’” said Roberton
Williams, an economist and senior fellow with the Urban Institute’s Tax Policy
Center.
That’s a pretty appropriate comment to revisit not just during the week of Tax
Day, but during a week that political commentators have been analyzing this
finding <[link removed]> from
Gallup: 49 percent of voters consider themselves independent, nearing the
previous high of 50 percent in January 2021.
With that in mind, here are three things to consider this week:
Experts discuss the impact of Top-Two primaries on polarization
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Last week, Unite America fellow and Syracuse University professor Richard
Barton gathered some of the smartest minds in election reform for a discussion
at the Midwest Political Science Association’s Annual Conference. The panelists
considered the academic viewpoints on Top-Two primaries, with some suggesting
that prior attempts to break party power through primary reform have fallen
short. However, other panelists pointed out that more variety in the type of
primaries available, such as nonpartisan Top-Four primaries or Final-Five
Voting, may be necessary to address the country’s widening polarization.
One standout comment came from Dr. Seth Masket, a professor of political
science and the director of the Center on American Politics at the University
of Denver. Initially, Dr. Masket thought that Top-Two primaries would have no
impact on California elections, but has since changed his tune over the last 12
years. To his surprise, the reform appears to have had a noticeable impact on
moderating governing behavior in California.
Check out our blog
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to learn more about the conferences our staff attended last week and the
various topics that were covered!
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FairVote Minnesota is paving the way for election reform across the state
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You may recall our recent highlighting of the push for ranked choice voting in
Minnesota —Politico
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published a deep dive this week about the in-state efforts. Its story
highlights Jeanne Massey, who leadsFairVote Minnesota <[link removed]>
, and the attempt to pass an RCV bill that would extend the system to all state
and federal elections, and give all municipalities the option of adopting the
reform:
As a technical intervention in the mechanics of elections, ranked choice
voting hardly feels like the antidote to the democratic erosion that afflicts
the United States, not to mention democracies around the world. Some political
scientists regard it as the kind of bauble that entrances reformers desperate
for easy solutions to hard problems.
That is not, however, the way it looks on the ground in Minnesota.
Jeanne Massey, the executive director of FairVote Minnesota, is the maestro
behind the elaborate political campaign to pass the bill. She has spent almost
15 years persuading Minnesotans of the merits of ranked choice voting and
wearing down the resistance of legislators; her efforts culminated in a massive
get-out-the-vote drive for ranked choice voting-friendly candidates in the 2022
midterms. Should the bill pass this year — hardly a certainty — Massey and
FairVote and their statehouse allies will lift ranked choice voting from a
darling of democracy nerds to the most potent of the proposed reforms to the
American electoral system.
The piece also drops in this nugget: “Larry Diamond, a prominent political
scientist and democracy scholar at Stanford, argues that in the ideal case,
ranked choice voting would be paired with nonpartisan primaries, as is the case
in Alaska. But unlike Alaska, Minnesota doesn’t allow for voter referendums;
the need to pass a bill effectively ruled out nonpartisan primaries, which are
anathema to all but the most high-minded lawmakers.”
More here.
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Check out Democracy Jobs — we’d love to have you join the movement!
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Passing election reforms that prioritize voters is like putting together a
puzzle to create a better democracy. And what's a puzzle without all its
pieces? We need you to complete the picture! If you're passionate about making
a difference and want to be a part of this movement, look no further than
Democracy Jobs <[link removed]>.
This job portal is the ultimate matchmaker for job seekers who want to take
their career to new heights in the realm of election reforms and democracy. The
database of open positions is updated weekly, if not daily, with listings from
dozens of national organizations that are fighting for voters' rights.
Presently, there are more than 120 open positions to choose from! So, whether
you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, Democracy Jobs is the perfect place
to find your dream job in the Voters First movement.
Check it out here <[link removed]>.
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Regards,
Alana
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Alana Persson
Unite America
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