Electoral reform in the United States
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Electoral reform in the United States refers to efforts make changes the U.S. electoral system and American elections.
Currently, the U.S. uses a single member district plurality system to elect the members of its lower legislative house, the U.S. House of Representatives. Both parties have made efforts to gerrymander these districts using computer-generated maps designed to protect incumbents' seats; partially as a result of this, turnover in this house is typically low. The United States Senate and the U.S. President are also elected using the plurality system, although these positions are safe from gerrymandering (with the possible exception of presidential races in Maine and Nebraska, whose electoral votes are partially allocated by Congressional district) due to the fixed borders of states.
Proposals for electoral reform have included abolishing the U.S. Electoral College or nullifying its impact through the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact; implementing Instant Runoff Voting; and electing members of Congress by Single Transferable Vote; among others. The U.S. Constitution gives states wide latitude to determine how elections are conducted, although some details, such as the ban on poll taxes, are mandated at the federal level.
The nonprofit organization FairVote has compiled a report detailing the unique challenges to electoral reform in the United States as well as potential opportunities.[1]
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[edit] References
- ^ The Fair Elections Movement in the United States, Robert Richie and Steven Hill.
