The season of reform is upon us!
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Hi Friend,

 

Summer may be fast winding down, but the season of reform is still very much
upon us. Across the country, we see the need for nonpartisan political reform
that repairs our broken system and puts voters first. 

 

Whether it’s gerrymandering in Illinois
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,a funky recall process in California
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, orcorrupt candidates in Florida
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, the American political system is in desperate need for reform. Luckily,
you’re here, we’re here — between all of us there’s a lot we can accomplish. 

 

Here are three things to think about this week:

California needs ranked choice voting
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The largest state in the union is amidst a tight and controversial recall
election, as voters weigh whether to keep Governor Gavin Newsom in power.
Recalls in California are a two step process — first, voters must answer yes or
no to whether they want to recall the governor. Then they must answer a second
question which asks who they’d like to replace him with. 

 

Right now there are a shocking 46 candidates running to replace Newsom, and
polls are showing a tight split between voters who want to keep him in office
and those who want him out — meaningit’s very possible that Newsom is ousted,
and his replacement is voted in with just a fraction of supportfrom the general
electorate. Of course, there is a solution. Ranked choice voting would ensure
that the candidate selected to replace Newsom actually has a majority of
support. From Sam Mar:California’s Crazy Recall is Another Case Study for
Election Reform
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.



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Incumbents: a fair redistricting process shouldn’t feel easy
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The types of complaints coming out of Colorado and Virginia about the
redistricting processes are a good sign as politicians adapt to a new system of
drawing maps. In both states, politicians are complaining that because of
redistricting, they may not be guaranteed easy reelection. Voters, for once,
are coming first. 


In the Denver Post, Terrance Carroll, our Colorado State Director and former
speaker of the house in the Centennial State, explains it to his colleagues:
Yes, this is how a fair redistricting process is supposed to feel to incumbents
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. Instead of carving up voters in easy-to-win seats, the independent
redistricting commission in Colorado (and thebipartisan commission in Virginia
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) are prioritizing communities, and working to ensure competitiveness.It’s not
going to feel easy for politicians — but it will be fair to voters. 



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Voters liked it, ranked it, and want to use it again
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As New York City releases its final cast ballot record from the city’s first
use of ranked choice voting in their primary in June, there’s a lot of data to
be sifted through and conclusions that can (and will) be drawn. Here’s the one
that you should know: overwhelmingly,voters understood the system and used it.

 

On our blog this week
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Hladick, Unite America’s Policy Manager, breaks down the takeaways from the
election, including the fact that over 87% of New Yorkers ranked candidates in
the mayoral race. Despite hiccups on the part of the board of elections, the
election itself was a success, providing New Yorkers with more representative
outcomes and a less vitriolic campaign cycle. 



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Brett
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Brett Maney
Senior Communications Manager
Unite America
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