It’s Time To Talk About Electoral Reform

Over the past several decades, advocates for improving American democracy have focused their efforts on a few discrete issues. One of these is voting—trying to make it easier to vote, secure the voting process, and ensure equal access to the ballot box. Another is money in politics—working to make political spending transparent and prevent it from corruptly influencing elected officials. A somewhat distant third, until recently, is redistricting—preventing politicians from gerrymandering their districts to keep themselves and their allies in power.

All of these issues are critically important. Democracy means little without the right to vote, and it is at least compromised if money or district lines drive political outcomes.

However, there is another equally fundamental issue that has, until recently, received only niche attention. That issue is electoral reform—examining the most basic rules of the political system and finding ways to ensure that they are promoting effective, representative government. The electoral system is the set of rules that determines how representatives are selected: which candidates and political parties can compete on the ballot, who those candidates and parties represent, and how voters are allowed to choose between them.1 These rules shape the makeup of Congress and local and state legislatures, and they create strong incentives that guide the behavior of elected officials.

This report describes the important elements of the U.S. electoral system and identifies the reasons why they are not functioning well. It also describes a range of possible solutions that deserve further consideration, including fusion voting, ranked-choice voting, primary election reform, multimember districts, and methods of proportional representation.