John --
The 2022 midterm elections are officially in
the books, and the results we’ve seen so far aren’t what a lot of
political pundits expected. The predictions of a huge red wave largely
fell flat, as Democrats may hold onto a slim Senate lead, and even the
House might only see a fairly narrow Republican majority. This is
atypical for the opposition party in a president’s first term, which
means that issues like democracy and reproductive rights were
apparently as important to many voters as the economy and
crime.
At Forward, we’ve
kept our eye on how well ballot initiatives surrounding voting reform
measures fared, and there’s some great news to share on that front.
According to FairVote, ranked-choice voting (RCV) had its biggest Election Day ever,
with a record 10 places voting on whether to adopt the alternative
voting format, and 12 places holding RCV elections, including Maine
and Alaska.
Why do we
love RCV? It’s simple. In the system under which most of us still
vote, a candidate can win with a simple plurality of votes. This
format favors extremist candidates who cater to an ideologically
extreme base—because in our polarizing times, that’s all they have to
do. RCV changes the incentives, rewarding unifying candidates who
appeal to the broadest cross-section of voters. It eliminates the
spoiler effect, giving candidates outside the two major parties a
chance to compete with them on equal footing. And most importantly,
the winning candidates most fully represent the preferences of the
population they serve.
As of this writing, not all of the RCV ballot initiative results
are in yet, but there’s already good news to report. The voters of
Portland, Ore.; Evanston, Ill.; Fort Collins, Col.; and Ojai, Calif.,
have voted in favor of RCV. In Nevada, a statewide RCV initiative is
currently ahead with 70% of the vote counted so far. And in Maine,
which already uses RCV, voters in Portland approved a measure that
authorizes their city council to enact the proportional form of RCV.
Congratulations to these communities and the organizations and
individuals who worked so hard to see these initiatives
through!
OTHER NEWS &
VIEWS
Democrats appear to stave off
House red wave “Control of
the House of Representatives remains unclear immediately after
Election Day, with Democrats putting on a stronger showing than many
expected. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy couldn't declare the
sweeping victory he'd forecasted for Republicans on Election Day—at
least not yet. He rattled off Republican wins across the country to
supporters at a party in the nation's capital early Wednesday. Yet,
despite the stage's backdrop reading "TAKE BACK THE HOUSE," dozens of
races remained uncalled. The results were uplifting for Democrats, who
were braced for sweeping losses, and have raised questions about the
size of Republicans’ governing majority if they win the House.”
—USA
Today
Senate control hangs in balance as
Georgia race heads to runoff “The Georgia Senate race is headed to a runoff, with neither
Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock nor Republican challenger Herschel
Walker topping the necessary 50% required under state law to win on
the first ballot. If Democrats finish with 49 Senate seats prior to
the runoff, the runoff will decide which party ultimately controls the
chamber. The election will take place on Dec. 6.” —NBC
News
Kleinfeld: De-mainstreaming
political violence “In
the last five years, political violence has skyrocketed on the right,
and desire is growing on the left. The public’s willingness to support
partisan violence in America now approaches levels recorded in
Northern Ireland at the height of its troubles. … Political violence
is, by definition, inspired by politics. To roll it back, Americans
need to disincentivize it. Right now, 90% of congressional races are
so safe that they fear only a threat from their own ideological side.
That’s driving extremism. We need to get rid of primaries in favor of
ranked-choice and other voting systems that force candidates to cater
to the whole electorate.” —Rachel Kleinfeld in Politico
The story of Election Day 2022 is about the
repudiation of election denialism, and the fresh opening for new ways
of doing politics that ensure extremism is not allowed to thrive.
Americans are hungry for sane alternatives that work, and that’s
exactly where Forward has positioned itself. The future looks brighter
already. We’re glad you’re on board with us!
All the
best, The Forward Party Team
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