Educate Voters on New & Proposed Election Processes

Fair Vote; Open Primaries; Reconsider Media; Independent Voter Project

This last election has convinced more Americans than ever that they need more choices and better choices in their elections. Trump and Clinton were the most disliked Presidential candidates since polling began because of American elections as we know them provide exactly two candidates that have won by appealing to a party hard-line base. Furthermore, most elections for state and congressional seats are effectively over after the primary election, eliminating most Americans from being able to cast a meaningful vote for their representatives.

Americans are therefore reduced to voting against the candidate they are most appalled by, rather than for a candidate that truly represents them. Worse, to support their tribe they end up adopting positions that they don’t even truly agree with and vilify all supporters of the other tribe in order to suppress them. Americans know hyper-partisanship is a problem, but don’t know how to fix it.

The problem is structural; the solution must be structural. To improve Congressional gridlock, we need options in the election that aren’t tied to toe the party line. To get presidential candidates who appeal to the majority of Americans, we need primaries to seek input from everyone, not just party members. To end the arbitrary left-right dichotomy, we need options beyond red and blue.

The solution involves the adoption of Open Primaries (“Top Two”) and Ranked Choice Voting across the country. Open Primaries bring candidates to the general election that have won the approval of people across the entire spectrum--not just the 1⁄4 that make up each party. Ranked Choice Voting creates voting allows Americans to vote for third parties more easily and creates incentives for candidates to reach out for support beyond their base.

These structural reforms will have a powerful, direct impact on improving US politics and reducing hyper-partisanship and polarization. RCV will create voting incentives that allow 3rd parties to get votes because a vote for a 3rd party is no longer a vote against your second choice (see Duverger’s Law). OP force primary candidates to address the needs of the entire population, rather than their own party, as all voters can vote in the primary. This will necessarily bring about more options and options that have appealed to the entire electorate.

The Voter Reform Squad brings together experienced reformers to greatly increase awareness of structural voter reform, and to rapidly deploy a ground game in a high-impact state, with the ultimate aim of passing comprehensive voting reform via ballot initiative. FairVote and OpenPrimaries will bring their extensive ground experience, and team up with the Independent Voter Network to rapidly increase reach and build groundswell support for reform with an aim to win quickly, build momentum, and move to new states across the country. Take Back Our Republic will extend our outreach to the critically-important conservative voter base in MO.