Panel Discussion: State-by-State Reforms to Make Elections More Accountable to Voters

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Published: 06 Dec, 2023
1 min read

American Enterprise Institute's Kevin R Kosar recently hosted a panel to discuss why all segments of voters should support structural electoral reform efforts happening across the country. The conversation took place not long after Kosar published a detailed report on why conservatives, in particular, should support these efforts.

The panel featured Matt Germer, who is the associate director and resident election fellow for R Steet's Governance Program, former Ohio State Representative Gene Krebs, and Election Reformers Network Executive Director Kevin Johnson.

Each of the participants dived deep into notable updates to nonpartisan systemic reform nationwide, including:

A bipartisan bill in Wisconsin to enact Final Five Voting (a nonpartisan top-five primary with ranked choice voting [RCV] in the general election); Burlington, Vermont's upcoming mayoral race which will use RCV; and a potential 2024 ballot initiative in Idaho to open the state's partisan primary system.

But these examples are just the tip of the iceberg.

Cities, counties, and states across the country are changing the way public officials are elected to shift the incentive structure toward accountability to voters first. With voter dissatisfaction in governance at record-highs, it is important for voters to look at how we elect our representatives.

Check out the full panel discussion above. 

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