ELECTION REFORM
Gerrymandering - How The Major Parties Rig Elections
Gerrymandering has been used for a long time, but new technology now lets political parties predict how people will vote more accurately than ever. This means the party in control of redrawing voting maps can almost guarantee their candidates will win in a majority of districts. In Texas, gerrymandering is so powerful that the Princeton Gerrymandering Project found that only:
2 of 38 Congressional districts,
6 out of 150 State House districts, and
1 out of 31 State Senate districts
can be considered competitive.
When general elections aren’t competitive, the winner is decided in the favored party’s primary.
Partisan Primaries - How to Polarize A Country
Partisan primaries were created with good intentions. They were meant to make the process of picking party candidates more democratic, giving regular party members a voice and reducing the power of party leaders.
But when combined with gerrymandering, partisan primaries lead to more extreme political divisions and partisanship.
In a gerrymandered district, where one party is almost certain to win the general election, the biggest worry for an incumbent is being challenged in a primary by someone more extreme than they are. To avoid this, incumbents often move further to the left or right, leaving the middle ground empty and making compromise impossible."
The mix of gerrymandering and partisan primaries encourages politicians to create division and avoid working together. Controversial issues like immigration and abortion are often more useful to them unsolved than they would be if solved!
Barriers To Competition
Texas makes it especially hard for new political parties to get on the ballot. Any party or independent candidate has to collect a huge number of signatures in a very short time. The process is based on a law from 1905 that requires people to sign on paper in person, which takes a lot of time and effort.
These rules are so difficult that a district court judge said the signature-gathering process is unconstitutional. However, this decision has been paused while it’s being appealed.
Just like in business, having only two big players in politics means fewer choices and lower quality—at a higher cost.
New Style of Voting and Primaries
The Forward Party will solve the current corruption, imbalance and stolen voting power by implementing new voting processes. Because our solutions are ground up, we recognize the need for different voting styles in different scenarios. A local election in a rural county won’t have the same needs as a statewide election. So what are we going to do? Implement what works where it works.
Ranked Choice Voting + Instant Runoff
Voters rank candidates in order of preference; lowest performers are eliminated and their votes redistributed until someone reaches majority.
Solves: Reduced "spoiler effect", Encourages coalition-building, More voice for voters through preference expression
Where: Diverse metropolitan areas, Communities concerned about political polarization, Places with multiple strong political factions
STAR Voting
Voters score each candidate (0-5). Top two advance to instant runoff where preference between finalists decides winner.
Supports: Preferences of voters, Reduces strategic voting incentives, Balances majority rule with preference intensity, Minimizes ‘wasted votes’.
Where: Politically active communities, Areas with high education levels, Communities that value nuance, Medium-sized jurisdictions with resources for voter education, places seeking to reduce polarization
Approval Voting
Voters approve as many candidates as they wish; highest total approvals wins.
Supports: Simplicity, Consensus-building, Reduced extremism, Reasonable administrative costs
Where: Small to medium-sized communities, Organizations and private elections, Places where ballot design simplicity is important
Open Primaries
Increases Voter Participation – Allows independent and unaffiliated voters to participate, leading to greater voter engagement.
Encourages Moderate Candidates – Since candidates must appeal to a broader electorate, extreme partisan candidates may have less success.
Reduces Party Control – Lessens the influence of party elites by allowing all voters, not just registered party members, to have a say in candidate selection.
Promotes Cross-Party Engagement – Voters can choose candidates from different parties, encouraging a more diverse political dialogue.
