It’s time to put country over party.



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Hi Friend,



The aftermath of Hurricane Ian, which struck Florida last week, has left much
destruction. Lives were tragically lost, homes were destroyed, and entire
bridges were washed out to sea. However, even amidst the loss and the sadness,
we have witnessed the best emerge in the days that have followed — peoplehave
come together
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, regardless of background, andextended a hand
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to their neighbors in need. This is the magic that happens when people rally
together and put one another first.



It shouldn’t require a catastrophe striking for us to put our differences
aside to solve problems. So, in that spirit, we’re proud to invite you to join
us virtually tomorrow for thefirst-ever Un-Convention,
<[link removed]> an event we are co-hosting alongside the
Bipartisan Policy Center and Smerconish for Independent Minds, in an effort to
bring Americans together before a “hurricane” hits our democracy.



While the in-person event is sold out, you can register to become a virtual
delegate
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! We hope that you can join us and contribute to the conversation as we strive
to respectfully find common ground and community, regardless of political
differences!



So, on that note, here are three things to think about this week:





It’s not about who wins control of Congress — it’s about what will solve
problems for voters
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The start of the 21st century arrived with gusto, bringing forth new and
advanced technologies — from cell phones and renewable energy to the Internet
and more — all of which modernized society. Yet, despite these advancements, it
is apparent that Congress is not keeping up with the times. In an effort to
change Congress’s antiquated ways,The Select Committee on the Modernization of
Congress (“Mod Comm”)
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— a bipartisan working group striving to catapult the institution into the
21st century — was established in 2019 to bring Congress up to speed. This
week, “Mod Comm” had its last hearing and, while there still is much more to
get done,the 12-member committee comprised of an equal number of Republicans
and Democrats, are well on their way to implementing 125 out of 195 of its
recommendations for improving the U.S. House.
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Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Chair of the Committee, is hopeful that it will
continue on, as he recently stated, “The good news is, throughout this process,
the leadership of both the Democratic and Republican parties has been really on
board with the work we are doing. [...] Everybody wants this. Listen, there are
people that want to burn down Congress, but I think [generally] the people here
want to improve the institution.”



Read more about the accomplishments of this lesser-known bipartisan committee,
by checking out ablog post written by Beth Hladick, our Senior Policy Manager
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.





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Reform ballot measures could buck the status-quo this fall
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Election day is just around the corner and there are some exciting ballot
measures to support and keep an eye on. Portland, Oregon is seeking to pass
ranked choice voting in city elections.According to a new poll,
<[link removed]> 63%
of Portland voters support this measure. Voters in Fort Collins, Colorado will
also vote on ranked choice voting, as will San Juan and Clark counties in
Washington,among others <[link removed]>.
And let’s not forget about Nevada’s pivotalQuestion 3 ballot measure
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Alaska-style nonpartisan primary system and better represent Nevada voters (if
passed this year, it would need to pass again in 2024 to take effect.)



Advocates across the country are hard at work and support for these reform
campaigns is greater than ever. The sheer fact that so many exciting reform
measures made it onto ballots this year marks another HUGE milestone in the
movement to put voters first.


 


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Plurality wins = losses for voters
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Can you imagine doing only 39% of your assignments all semester, yet still
somehow end up on the dean’s list? Fat chance. And yet this is how we elect our
lawmakers, according to a new FairVote mini-report. This year, 120 candidates
won primaries with just a plurality of votes — meaning they received less than
50% of votes yet still advanced and will be on the ballot for the general
election. And, to make matters worse, of these 120 winners, the average
candidate won with only 39% of the vote. So, what does this mean for voters?
Well, come November, the majority of voters (61%, almost one million voters)
will be represented on the general election ballot by someone they did not vote
for in the primary, skewing representation and leaving those elected to answer
only to a minority of their constituents. This is thePrimary Problem
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To learn more about the negative effects of plurality victories in 2022
primaries,check out our partner, FairVote’s recently published a mini-report
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We hope you get to enjoy a long weekend!




Regards,



Alana
__
Alana Persson
Unite America

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