Put country over party
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Hi Friend,

 

On Friday, just before many Americans headed out for the long weekend, the US
Senate failed to pass legislation that would have created a commission to
investigate the events of the January 6th insurrection. 

 

It’s bitterly ironic: ahead of a national holiday designed to commemorate and
honor those who died protecting our democracy, our Senators could not be
bothered to do their part to protect our democracy. 

 

The fear of primary voters' outsized influence on reelection is pushing our
elected officials to put party over country.  

 

Luckily, the reforms that Unite America and our partners are advocating for
can push lawmakers in the right direction. Here are three things to think about
this week:

Open primaries give all voters a voice
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More Americans than ever are registering as unaffiliated or independent
voters, yet in many states, these voters are barred from participating in the
election that actually matters — the primary election that determines over 80%
of Congress. This is part of what we at Unite America call thePrimary Problem
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primary voters have an outsized influence on our election system, and it’s
pulling us to polarized extremes. This week,Alan Novak and T.J. Rooney
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, former chairs of Republican and Democratic Parties of Pennsylvania,
respectively, argue that the disenfranchisement of independent voters is one of
the driving causes of dysfunction in our political system. 

 

“Including independents in the primary process is critical for the health of
both parties,” they argue. “Open primaries would allow candidates to focus on a
broader electorate in the primary, making them less ideological exercises.
Parties could, once again, develop platforms that invite more voters into the
parties. We believe it will sharpen the candidates and the parties and make
them more effective representatives of the American people.”



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What to do if you’re politically homeless
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Like I said above: more Americans than ever are registering as unaffiliated or
independent voters. It’s not just new voters — long time party members are
dropping out of the two-party system, as they’re left to feel politically
homeless, and as a result,powerless. 


This week, Deseret News
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profiles a few faces of the politically homeless, from an academic
perspective, interviewing a few of our friends in the process. While Unite
America advisor Lee Drutman and board member Katherine Gehl argue that
rebuilding the system is a major part of ensuring better representation for
voters, Americans also have to begin investing less of their political
identities in political parties. Check out thefull piece here
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.



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Ranked choice voting puts voters first
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Much like open and nonpartisan primaries, ranked choice voting offers another
solution to ensuring that voters have their voices heard in our election — and
rewards elected officials for listening to their constituents. This week,
Representative Jamaal Bowman and Jumaane D. Williams
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argue why ranked choice voting will empower voters in New York City as the
city becomes the largest expansion of the reform ever. 

 

“If we currently have politics rooted in division, ranked choice voting will
help to foster politics of addition,” they write. “This puts voters in charge.
They can vote for the candidate they want to see win, without fear that will
help elect the candidate they like least, regardless of where their top pick
stands in the polls.”



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Best,

 

Brett
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Brett Maney
Senior Communications Manager
Unite America
DONATE TO SUPPORT ELECTION REFORM
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