Dear Friend, It’s no secret that trends are destabilizing American Democracy: a collapse in competitive elections, biased outcomes that strategically advantage — or dilute — the power of one voting bloc over another, and escalating extremism, to name a few. But what if the design of our system itself could help foster a more stabilized, representative, and functional government? At present, winner-take-all elections leave millions of Americans without real choice or meaningful voice in their elections. It’s a cross-partisan problem: despite making up 30% of the electorate, Republicans in Massachusetts don’t have any representation in Congress (all nine seats are held by Democrats). Similarly, despite making up 30% of the electorate, Democrats don’t hold any seats in Oklahoma’s five-member federal delegation. It’s what we call the Primary Problem — that a small percentage of unrepresentative Americans decide election outcomes in partisan primaries — which disenfranchises voters, distorts representation, and fuels division. We're excited to share a newly launched report co-authored by Protect Democracy and Unite America entitled “Towards Proportional Representation for the U.S. House: Amending the Uniform Congressional District Act.” |
The report traces the history and politics of congressional districting while suggesting how a different election system — proportional representation (also known as “PR”) — might yield a Congress that reflects the rich partisan, ideological, geographical, racial, socioeconomic, and cultural diversity inherent in the United States. The research includes a history of a 1967 law prohibiting states from experimenting with PR systems while offering a modern-day solution to advancing this reform in the United States. This educational resource will benefit researchers, advocates, policymakers, and the concerned public as they endeavor to learn more about the challenges inherent in our winner-take-all election system — and how remedies like Proportional Representation offer a potential reprieve. We hope you enjoy the report! Regards, Beth Hladick Director, Research & Outreach |
