The Muppets Explain Instant Runoff Voting! from the Center for Voting and Democracy

Flyer to print out showing how Libertarians would reform the system to make elections more fair

Campaign and Election Reform

How do you change the system? Well, we think it's possible. Here are some ways to open up the system so that more ideas can trickle up to the surface. Competition is the best way to refine a product.

• More open ballot-access laws;
• An end to gerrymandering
• IRV (instant runoff voting) for single-winner elections, to help open up the 'two-party' syst em (ensures a majority vote for the winner, and "the voter gets a chance to vote for whom he or she really wants without diluting the chances of the least offensive candidate");
• Proportional Representation (PR) to open up representation to minority views with enough support.
• NOTA (none of the above) on all ballots to express unacceptability of offered candidates (if NOTA wins, the position must go unfilled/unfunded or another election is held, with none of original candidates except NOTA).
• Ending all government financing of primaries--nobody should have to support parties they do not believe in.
• Allowing parties to say how they will conduct their nominations and who can vote.
• Treating websites and other communication as free speech, not campaign contributions.

A recent Campaigns and Elections magazine acknowledges how important the districting, done by State Legislatures, has become to the two main parties:

Republican hopes of gaining seats in the U.S. House in '02 as a consequence of favorable state reapportionment plans depends upon them.

As such, politics at the state legislative level is becoming more serious than ever. In fact, hotly contested elections in states with closely divided chambers throughout the first decade of this century will see state legislative candidate spending levels approach those of congressional races - which involve, on average, about 17 times as many voters - of only two decades ago...Today's state legislators will help determine the balance of power in the next Congress...

Related Links:
LPNY Campaign -- our battle to get our ideas out
http://www.votesmart.com -- information on all candidates
http://www.lobbyforme.com -- lobbyists at your service, even if you're not an insider