Have the Utah Democrats put voters first?
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Hi Friend,

 

Free speech seems to be the subject on everyone’s minds — at least everyone
who pays attention to Twitter. As the social media app — tragically, one of the
“public squares” of modern politics — undergoes an ownership change, opinions 
about the future of the site and around our modern expectation of free speech
abound. 

 

Fundamentally though, what you see on Twitter is a result of who you follow,
what channels you engage with, and the digital echo chamber that surrounds your
240 characters. A new owner will not change the amplification effects of
Twitter, nor its use by some bad actors as a carrier of fake news. 

 

And no matter the debate (legal or otherwise) about Twitter’s role as the
platform for political dialogue, resolving it alone won’t address our
dysfunctional politics. Twitter is a little blue bird in a coal mine: It’s
evidence of a brokenness in the country (such as broken electoral institutions)
that originates outside the app. At the turn of the 20th century, reformers
took on political corruption and robber barons. As we like to say,history
repeats <[link removed]>. 

 

Here are three things to think about this week.

New York, New York
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The twice-named city held its first ranked choice voting election last year to
help elect a new mayor, among other municipal positions. It was the largest
expansion yet for ranked choice voting, more than tripling the number of
Americans using the system elsewhere. In a new white paper from theUnite
America Institute
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, Daemen University academics Dr. Erin Carman and Dr. Jay Wendland synthesized
exit polling data and found that the majority of voters would use the system
again. 


Additionally, voters across the board found ranked choice voting simple to
understand and to use; the majority of voters took advantage of the system and
ranked multiple candidates, and the majority of voters said they’d like to use
the system again. For a new election system in one of the world’s most diverse
— and populous — cities, such rave reviews are excellent news for reformers
looking to bring the reform to their communities. Read thefull report here
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.



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Utah Democrats stuck between a rock and a red place
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Utah Democrats made a bold decision this week, opting not to nominate their
own candidate in the race to beat embattled Senator Mike Lee, and instead
throwing their support behind independent candidate (and former presidential
hopeful) Evan McMullin. It’s an unprecedented move that inspires hope but also
points to massive problems with our political system. 

 

The good: Utah Democrats are giving Utahans the chance to make their voices
heard, free to vote for an independent without a Democrat playing spoiler in
the ruby-red state. The problem: In a healthy democracy, it’s not a choice that
a voter — or a party — should be forced to make. The Utah Democrats should be
lauded for putting people over party in this case, but Utahans should also note
that reforms such as ranked choice voting (which they alreadyhave some
familiarity with <[link removed]>!) and nonpartisan
primaries could improve political representation and give every voter and every
party a chance on the ballot.  



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Unchecked racial gerrymandering may be coming. Unless...
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Finally, check out a blog from Unite America Senior Fellow Terrance Carrol,
who writes about the Supreme Court’s recent decisions that may have big impacts
on the future of gerrymandering and racial representation in our country. As
Congress has repeatedly failed to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act,
decisions about maps and about representation are largely being left up to the
court — and their recent decisions have said it’s a matter left to the same
self-interested legislators who are gerrymandering in the first place. 

 

As Terrance points out, the solution comes in the form of independent
redistricting commissions, which takes power out of the hands of
self-interested politicians and puts it back in the hands of the people.
Independent redistricting commissions have proven to be a more fair place to
leave the mapmaking process, and one that better protects the interests of
racial minorities. Check out his full piece here. 



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Brett
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Brett Maney
Senior Communications Manager
Unite America

 

P.S. Join our friends at Open Primaries this Friday April 29 at 3 PM ET for
their virtual discussion series. The topic: How Closed Primaries
Disproportionately Impact Latino and Asian Voters, which will be a discussion
of new research from USC.Register here!
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