Archive - Nuts & Bolts of DemocracySOS

The Failure of Plurality Elections

Throughout history, candidates have won critical elections with less than a popular majority, from the presidency to Congress to city halls, both in the…

Jan 26 •

The future of US democracy: OLPR vs RCV

Open list PR (OLPR) advocates show inconsistencies and contradictions in their criticisms of ranked choice voting

Jan 19 •

November 2023

Creating gender-balanced governance in the US

Research shows that proportional ranked choice voting is the best method for removing barriers to women's representation

Nov 22, 2023 •

and

Alissa Bombardier Shaw

October 2023

How many years longer: What is the path to equal gender representation?

The “Golden Years” for Women’s Representation: proportional representation and gender quotas are the two most important reforms to enable women's…

Oct 27, 2023 •

and

Alissa Bombardier Shaw

September 2023

Party-centered reform vs Voter-centered reform: which should be the priority?

The American Political Science Association and a handful of political scientists have decided that political parties are (gulp) threatened and need to…

Sep 13, 2023 •

August 2023

Democracy in Divided Societies: Electoral Engineering to Reduce Conflict

Australian political scientist Benjamin Reilly reviews the evidence for using Ranked Choice Voting as a means to decrease electoral polarization

Aug 22, 2023 •

Benjamin Reilly

February 2023

Here's how to DOUBLE voter turnout

California, Arizona, and Nevada have shifted to even-year elections, boosting turnout and saving money—with lessons for other states.

Feb 1, 2023 •

October 2022

A Real-World Map for Understanding the Irascible Pandemonium of US Politics

Democracy is like a puzzle: you have to fit all the pieces together to see the Big Picture

Oct 21, 2022 •

September 2022

The Five Harmful Gremlins of Winner-Take-All Elections

The basic architecture of US democracy bedevils voters, candidates and political parties alike

Sep 20, 2022 •

Alaska election results show why Condorcet is obsolete

Condorcet advocates use the wrong standard for evaluating Ranked Choice Voting elections

Sep 14, 2022 •

August 2022

How the “Pyramid of Money” corrupts US democracy

The architecture of “winner take all” elections magnifies the pernicious effects of privately financed campaigns

Aug 5, 2022 •

June 2022

Why electoral systems matter: a thought experiment

What’s this? The same votes cast through different electoral systems can elect completely different representatives?

Jun 24, 2022 •

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