And other things you should read this week
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Hi Friend,

 

It’s hard to believe that it’s already mid-October. We’re just weeks away from
a slew of elections happening across the country, from mayoral races, to state
and local initiatives, to a much watched governor’s race happening in Virginia. 

 

Five cities across the US will be debating whether to adopt ranked choice
voting. 36 cities will be using ranked choice voting — the highest number ever.
Meanwhile, in states likeVirginia, Kentucky, and Nevada
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, voters will be taking advantage of new early voting options and mailed-ballot
options. 

 

November’s elections may be approaching under the radar, but that doesn’t mean
there isn't a lot to be excited about. Here are three things to think about
this week:

How the House of Representatives became unrepresentative
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Within the legislative branch of our federal government, the House of
Representatives issupposed to serve as a co-equal part of Congress. Yet over
the last few weeks, as the Senate has been deep in discussion and debate around
key bills, the House has been largely overlooked — in large part because the
extreme polarization of the House has led to political theatre trumping actual
policymaking. Instead of dealmaking, House members have been relegated to back
benchers, with real decisions on legislation happening at the leadership level
instead.  


In The Atlantic, former Illinois representative Daniel Lipinski writes about
how the relegation of the House is bad for democracy — and about how we can
restore power.By adopting new rules and modernizing the House, empowering
individual members with the support, staff, and time they need to create and
debate legislation, we can restore power to the House.Reforms have already been
suggested by the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and House Modernization
Committee. Check outLipinski’s full piece here
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.



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Where election administrators are being pushed out
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Finally, check out this story from Texas, where Michele Carew, a veteran
election administrator in a Trump-friendly district has been pushed out of her
job after facing relentless partisan accusations and election-rigging
conspiracy theories.Instead of a professional and independent election
administrator, some in her district want to see the election put in the hands
of an elected, partisan official. 

 

Carew is just one of dozens of election administrators across the country who
have been fleeing their positions, as legislators threaten them with high
penalties and even jail time for perceived interference. Nonpartisan
professionals have been fleeing their roles in droves, leaving vacant key parts
of American election infrastructure. Read thefull story here
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.



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Montana could improve their elections with this reform combo
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Any guesses what reform it is? This week, professors David C.W. Parker and Kal
Munis argue that to improve representation for Montanans, Montanans need to
improve their elections — starting by adopting nonpartisan primaries and ranked
choice voting. 


If you’ve seen our Primary Problem video
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reforms has the potential to put voters first by making sure their votes count
in every election. In the words of Parker and Munis, nonpartisan primaries “can
inject competition into primary elections, attract more voter participation,
and force legislators to heed a wider array of voices and views at every stage
of the electoral process.” Alaska has already adopted nonpartisan primaries and
ranked choice voting. Will Montana be next?



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Best,

 

Brett
__
Brett Maney
Senior Communications Manager
Unite America
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