oooooh boy, it's a Four Things Friday (and I'm a delight at parties)
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Hi Friend,

 

I saw some old friends this weekend, and we started talking about my work on
democracy reform. After all this time, they asked me about what keeps me
engaged in this work. 

 

So I explained to them: What’s so important about this work is that we help
Americans remember their power in the voting process–even though it doesn’t
always feel that way. So many voters don’t know that much of the dysfunction in
our politics today is because we’ve ceded control of our election system to
partisan interests–and that it’sfixable. Our mandate is to update the system to
ensure the promise of democracy.

 

Immediately, they understood. They too had forgotten that it’s voters, not
political parties, that are supposed to decide elections. It’s through reforms
like nonpartisan primaries, ranked choice voting, and independent redistricting
that we take our voice back. 

 

Here are FOUR things to think about this week: 

How instant runoff voting could provide instant relief to Texas’ Primary
Problem
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In March, just 6% of Texas voters cast ballots in the partisan primaries that
effectively determined 95% of the state’s Congressional representation
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enough, 15 of the state’s races are now headed to a runoff election, where the
number of voters participating is expected to be even lower — giving more power
to an even smaller number of voters. 


Ranked choice voting could solve these problems (while saving taxpayers’
money!). In a new op-ed, former Denton County Commissioner Keely Briggs (who
was herself victim of the runoff election dynamic) writes about why ranked
choice voting could improve voters’ representation in Congress, while creating
a more seamless process for voters and election administrators alike. Read the
full piecehere
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.  



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Alaska shows us what true partisan representation looks like
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One of the biggest problems with our binary approach to politics is that it
pushes everyone intocamps of blue and red
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who might be purple, green, or any other political color. But Alaska, who is
holding their first nonpartisan primary under their new political system, shows
us what a system that represents all voters could look like. 

 

There are 48 candidates running to replace Don Young in the state’s special
election: a mix of Republicans, Democrats, independents, nonpartisans, and
unaffiliated voters. It’s an eclectic mix — but it’s one that pretty well
matches the state’s voting population. In anew blog post
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break down everything you need to know about Alaska.Read it here
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A victory for open primaries
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Now from Colorado, where a federal judge threw out a lawsuit that challenged
the legality of the state’s open primary election system. In Colorado,
unaffiliated voters outnumber both registered Democrats and Republicans. In
2016, a ballot initiative opened up the state’s primaries to unaffiliated
voters, allowing them to choose which primary they wanted to vote in. 

 

Colorado Republicans debated holding their nomination systems in a way that
would circumvent unaffiliated participation — choosing a caucus or convention
route instead. But the party opted not to, understanding that giving a small
number of people a high level of influence would hurt their chances statewide.
Better representation means better candidates who appeal to a wider range of
voters. Wonder where we’ve heard that one before…



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Join the movement, get paid <[link removed]>
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Finally this Friday, we invite you to join the movement to put voters first
and check out DemocracyJobs.org, where the latest and greatest jobs from across
the movement are posted. Unite America hasfour open roles
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open jobs <[link removed]>. Maybe you’ll find your next
role there.Check it out <[link removed]>.



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Brett
__
Brett Maney
Senior Communications Manager
Unite America
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