Political Reform Program
 

The Future of the Voting Rights Act

The Political Reform Program, along with the national voting rights organization Fairvote, sponsored "The Future of the Voting Rights Act," two panel discussions on June 30, about the implications of the Supreme Court's recent decision addressing the Voting Rights Act.  This event took place at the New America Foundation's Washington, DC headquarters and featured some of the nation's leading voting rights experts.  The event was recorded and can be viewed on-line right here on the New America website.

Assembly Approves Voter Registration Bill

A New America idea to expand voter registration has been approved by the California Assembly and now goes to the Senate for consideration.  By lowering the voter registration age to 16, AB 30 would encourage California's youth to get involved in the democratic process.   Steven Hill, Director of New America's Political Reform Program, said "Voter registration is the very heart of the democratic process and this bill has the potential to add millions of Californians to the voter rolls."  Click here for more information.

Considering a Constitutional Convention

The Political Reform Program is front and center in the discussion about the potential for a citizen-led Constitutional Convention in California.  To learn more about this proposal, and how it ties into the work of New America's Political Reform Program, please see our California Constitutional Convention page. 

About This Program

Our political institutions -- from our noncompetitive, winner-take-all elections to our unrepresentative two-party system to the way we pay for political campaigns -- have created a crisis of confidence in our democracy. A more representative and responsive government is a prerequisite for building the political consensus necessary to address the nation’s most pressing problems. Working at both the national level and in California, the Political Reform Program promotes innovative political reforms -- such as instant runoff voting, proportional representation and free air time -- designed to re-engage and empower the alienated majority of the American electorate.

A more-detailed program description is available here.

Articles

The Big Constitutional Convention Question: Who's Going to Fix California?

Is a constitutional convention in California's future?

With the state's fiscal woes mounting and Sacramento seemingly frozen in place, a group of California leaders has proposed a constitutional convention as a way to fix the Golden State's deeply entrenched structural problems. Perhaps the most important question about a constitutional convention is: Who would be the delegates charged with designing California 2.0, and how would they be chosen?

Steven Hill | Los Angeles Times | June 22, 2009

Don't Want Swine Flu with Lunch? Then Offer Paid Sick Leave

The spread of the swine flu contagion has yet to reach scary "I Am Legend" proportions, but things are getting pretty hairy out there. The World Health Organization has declared a pandemic, the first flu pandemic in 41 years, as infections continue to climb in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America and elsewhere.

Steven Hill | New York Daily News | June 18, 2009

Instant Runoffs Would Reduce Election Costs

California faces a crater-size, $24 billion deficit - and we're about to throw away millions more on three elections we don't need. But here's the good news: If we adopt Instant Runoff Voting, or IRV, for special elections, we can save that amount and more.

With IRV, taxpayers could save nearly $2 million July 14 (fittingly, Bastille Day).

Gautam Dutta | The Daily Breeze | June 8, 2009

Golden State Bailout

IS California too big to fail?

That's the question President Obama and Congress will soon face. While many states have severe fiscal problems, the depth and unusual persistence of California's budget problems - the state has run deficits for most of the decade - has emptied Sacramento's till. On its current path, California will run short of the cash it needs to pay its bills in late July.

Joe Mathews | New York Times | May 21, 2009

The World Wide Webbed: The Obama Campaign’s Masterful Use of the Internet

Steven Hill | Social Europe Journal | April 8, 2009

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Policy Papers

Crucial Details of a California Constitutional Convention

With California's fiscal woes mounting, and the government in Sacramento seemingly frozen in place, a constitutional convention has been proposed as a way to fix the Golden State's deeply entrenched structural problems.  But as more people have begun considering this option, several important questions have arisen about some of the details of the Convention, specifically:  1) how would the delegates to the Convention be chosen; 2) how would a Convention of delegates chosen by random selection function, and how would the delegates be educated;

Steven Hill | June 29, 2009

Instant Runoff Voting for the City of San Jose:

Executive Summary

San Jose uses a two-round runoff system to elect its mayor and city council, with the first election in June and a runoff election in November if no candidate wins a majority of votes in June. Voter turnout in the June general election is about half that of the November election, with turnout disproportionately lower among traditionally disenfranchised communities.  With most elections being decided in a low turnout June election, a small and unrepresentative segment of the community is having an oversized effect

Blair Bobier, Steven Hill | June 2009

Remapping a Nation without States

California is a state of many distinct regions. To give citizens a voice on regional issues and to reinvigorate California's Legislature, the state's central institution of self-government, we propose Personalized Full Representation for the 21st Century (PFR21), a system of representation by means of regionally based legislative elections that will allow the state'scitizens to set the agenda for their regions and for the state as a whole.

Mark Paul, Micah Weinberg | November 19, 2008

Voter Education and Outreach in San Francisco to Implement IRV

San Francisco voters approved Proposition A in March 2002 that adopted instant runoff voting (also known as ranked choice voting) to elect local offices in San Francisco. The first election occurred in November 2004. For that election, the Board of Supervisors funded and the Department of Elections conducted a voter education and outreach campaign leading up to the first election. Approximately $750,000 was spent by the Department of Elections to educate the 440,000 registered voters in San Francisco.

For the complete… more

June 17, 2007

Instant Runoff Voting for the City of Los Angeles

Overview

The City of Los Angeles currently uses a two-round runoff system to elect its mayor, city attorney, city council and controller. One election is held in early March, and if no candidate wins a majority of the vote, a second election between the top two finishers is held in May. Voter participation is usually low, with only 10 percent of registered voters participating in the March 6, 2007 election. In addition, LA taxpayers pay millions of dollars for… more

Lynne Serpe, Steven Hill | April 10, 2007

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Events

The Future of the Voting Rights Act

Sponsored by the New America Foundation and FairVote.

On June 22, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its much-anticipated voting rights ruling in the NAMUDNO case (Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District v. Holder). Many long-time experts are sifting through the decision to understand the broad implications for the future of voting rights protections and minority representation in the United States.

06/30/2009 - 8:30am
06/30/2009 - 12:30pm

CA EVENT: California v 2.0

Faced with a deepening budget crisis and a paralyzed political system, a growing number of Californians have concluded that their government needs a complete overhaul. Join us to meet the leaders of the reform movement, to explore different paths to fundamental change, and to discuss some ideas for creating “California v 2.0,” an upgraded political system that meets the challenges of the 21st century.

06/22/2009 - 12:00pm
06/22/2009 - 2:00pm

CA EVENT: Instant Runoff Voting (San Jose)

In order to be elected to office in San Jose, a candidate must secure a majority of the votes cast. Sounds simple enough, but if no candidate receives a majority, then a runoff election is held in which the top candidates must compete again. This process is not only lengthy and results in voter fatigue and low voter turnout, but can cost $500,000 per election. There must be a better way to elect our leaders.

06/11/2009 - 12:00pm
06/11/2009 - 1:15pm

CA Event: Instant Runoff Voting in Los Angeles

On Monday, June 2nd, the New America Foundation's Political Reform Program held an engaging panel discussion and luncheon on instant runoff voting (IRV) in Los Angeles.

06/02/2008 - 12:00pm
06/02/2008 - 1:30pm

CA Event: Instant Runoff Voting and Minorities in L.A.

Currently, Los Angeles' local elections run on a wasteful, two-round election system. Last May, only 6 percent of voters turned out for the runoff election for the Los Angeles Community College Districts -- an election that cost taxpayers $5 million, or $40 per voter. For this reason, the LA City Council is seriously considering Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) for local elections. By combining the general and runoff election into 1 single election, IRV will save millions… more
04/19/2008 - 10:00am
04/19/2008 - 12:00pm

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Staff

Program Staff

  • Steven Hill
    Director, Political Reform Program
  • Gautam Dutta
    Deputy Director, Political Reform Program
  • Blair Bobier
    Deputy Director, Political Reform Program
  • Amanda Fowler 
    Intern, Political Reform Program
Click on the names above for more information.

Consequences of the Top Two Primary

Steven Hill, Director of New America's Political Reform Program, examines the consequences of the Top Two primary in an opinion piece published in the Sacramento Bee. Read the full piece here.

Sac Bee Columnist Plugs New America Plan

Dan Walters, one of California's best-known political columnists, gave a plug to Mark Paul and Micah Weinberg's plan for proportional representation as a way to deal with the state's fiscal crisis. Read the column here.

Study: Communities of Color Benefit from IRV

The New America Foundation study on Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) and Its Impact on Communities of Color, analyzes IRV elections from other American cities, based on previous reports from FairVote, San Francisco State University, Asian Law Caucus and others.

The study shows that racial and ethnic minorities overwhelmingly understand IRV and use ranked ballots effectively. In San Francisco, voter turnout in socio-economically diverse neighborhoods has increased dramatically. The study also analyzes the effectiveness of past IRV educational campaigns and provides pointers for the City of Los Angeles to conduct its own voter outreach.

"Our study shows that communities of color take full advantage of IRV. They not only use ranked ballots effectively, but also turn out in record numbers -- giving them a greater voice in the political process," said Monika Kulma of the New America Foundation "The study shows that IRV will benefit all residents of Los Angeles," she added.

Click here for more on the latest on the campaign for IRV in LA.

10 Steps to Repair American Democracy

Cover ImageChoiceless elections. Suspicious voting equipment. Partisan election officials. Superficial political debate. Unresponsive government. Author Steven Hill, who directs New America's Political Reform Program, says that American democracy has been working about as well as the levees around New Orleans. Yet most Americans don’t know what to do about it.

Here, finally, is the plan -- 10 Steps to Repair American Democracy. Drawing upon 20 years of scholarship, advocacy, and two previous books, Hill offers a "onestop" shopping guide to what's broken about our democracy, and what Americans can do to repair it. Click here for more on this book, or here to see video from Hill's book event in Washington, D.C.

 
The New America Foundation, 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., 7th Floor, Washington, DC 20009
http://www.newamerica.net

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