Check out our third Solution Series report
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Hi Friend,
After more than three weeks, the United States finally has a new Speaker of
the House. Since former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was removed from his post on
October 3, the House of Representatives had tried and failed repeatedly to
elect a replacement.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Backward electoral incentives
help explain the Speaker saga,the near-government shutdown
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, and more broadly, the inability to tackle our country’s biggest issues. When
83% of elections for the U.S. House aren’t competitive, the vast majority of
members have very little incentive to compromise and represent the majority.
Instead, they have every incentive to act in a way that appeals to the sliver
of primary voters that determine most elections.
There are ways we can change the incentives. In RealClearPolitics
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, FairVote’s Rachel Hutchinson makes a compelling case that instant runoffs
(using ranked choice voting) is a solution to the chaos. CNN’s Jake Tapperechoed
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interview with a Republican representative, asking, “Have you considered ranked
choice voting?” Sen. Mitt Romney alsojoined
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the choir of voices calling for a change to our electoral system, saying, “the
evidence suggests it would be a superior way to proceed.”
Speaking of ways we should change our election system…
New research: Alaska may have some answers to our political dysfunction
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Over the past year, the Unite America Institute has published research on
nonpartisan primary systems inLouisiana
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andCalifornia
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. We’re thrilled to announce thatthe third Solution Series report
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came out yesterday, which takes a deep dive into how Alaska’s historic
top-four nonpartisan primary system affects politics and governance.
While Alaska has only used the top-four system for one election cycle, the
early signs are promising. Notably, it dramatically increased the
competitiveness of elections. In 2022, the number of uncontested races dropped
to 12%, the lowest in a decade. The number of close state legislative elections
was also double the recent historical average.
When elections are more competitive, voters have a stronger voice and their
participation is more meaningful. In 2022, 35% of Alaskans cast “Meaningful
Votes” to elect their state house — the highest percentage in the nation and
three times the national average. Meaningful Votes are ballots cast in
competitive elections that are not effectively pre-determined based on party
affiliation alone. For example, a voter casts a meaningful vote in a general
election in a district where either party has a chance of winning, or in the
case of Alaska, where there are two or more candidates from the same party.
The Solution Series is showing that primary reform works, and it’s helping to
address the chaos and gridlock that has come to define our politics. As Dr.
Rich Barton writes inGoverning
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, what’s happening in the Alaska Legislature stands in stark contrast to the
U.S. House of Representatives. One of the reasons Alaska can have cooperative
governing coalitions is that elections are more competitive. The U.S. House
can’t because it doesn’t. Check out ourpress release
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,blog
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, and“X” thread <[link removed]>
to learn more.
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Growing momentum for opening Pennsylvania’s “archaic” closed primary system
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While Alaska represents one end of the election reform spectrum, Pennsylvania
may be… the polar opposite. It’s one of 15 states that doesn’t guarantee
independents the right to vote in primaries. That’s more than one million
Pennsylvania voters who don’t have a voice in who represents them, which
includes around 400,000 veterans. At Unite America, we believe that every voter
should have the freedom to vote in every taxpayer-funded election.
Fortunately, there’s serious momentum for repealing Pennsylvania’s closed
primary system. Last week,Pennsylvania students
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joined
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our partners atBallotPA <[link removed]> for a rally at the
capitol. This issue is particularly acute among young people, since a
disproportionate number of them aren’t registered with either major party.
A day after the rally, the House State Government Committee moved
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two bipartisan bills forward that would end closed primaries in Pennsylvania.
And on Tuesday, one of the state’s largest newspapersendorsed
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the effort. We’ll be working closely with our partners in the state to get
this over the finish line so that more than one million Pennsylvanians have a
say.
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The latest updates and opportunities from our partners
As you know, Unite America supports dozens of state partners and national
organizations working to solve the “Primary Problem.” I wanted to highlight
some recent updates and upcoming events from our partners that might be of
interest:
* RepresentWomen is hosting a briefing on November 8, the day after the
election, to discuss their work to identify and address the barriers that women
face as candidates and as elected officials.Register here
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.
* Veterans for All Voters (formerly known as Veterans for Political
Innovation)has several upcoming events
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the push for ranked choice voting in Texas, and an in-person panel about
independent voters in Arizona.
* A new report
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from the center-right think tankR Street recommends ways states can change
election practices to combat misinformation.
* Open Primaries hosted their latest virtual discussion Tuesday about
“Fighting for Open Primaries in Democratic Party Strongholds.”You can watch it
here <[link removed]>.
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Before I sign off: In case you missed it, we published our inaugural Partner
Spotlight on New Mexico Open Elections
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this month. The Spotlight is part of our Storytelling Series, which will
highlight the tireless work of individuals and organizations across the country
championing election reforms.
Happy Halloween!
Ross
__
Ross Sherman
Press Director, Unite America
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