Beyond Party Lines Daniel Wavering & Cassie Henderson Nguyen

Episode 3: Can Proportional Representation Fix Our Lack of Representation?
Welcome to Beyond Party Lines, where we take the political noise out of politics.

Who feels like their members of congress are ACTUALLY representing them? Many of us live in states that vote opposite us, to the point where our vote doesn’t even matter. Others live in swing states where winners inch in with barely 50% of the vote (or sometimes even LESS!)

Either way, a good chunk of us are going through life without representation in our government.

Does that sound fair? No wonder people feel like they shouldn’t even bother voting.

Today we’re tackling a potential political reform concept— proportional representation, and how it could help the problem.

Show Highlights:

A look at the current single-member, winner-takes-all approach to representation

How winner-takes-all impacts campaigning and swing states

The problem with “blue states” and “red states”

How proportional representation works

The pros and cons of the three main types

Proportional allocation in the electoral college

How proportional representation could get implemented

The Fair Representation Act


Sources & Further Reading:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT0I-sdoSXU

https://www.fairvote.org/how_proportional_representation_elections_work

https://www.fordham.edu/download/downloads/id/14401/Presidents_Must_Be_Elected_Popularly___Democracy_Clinic.pdf

https://www.fairvote.org/common_criticisms_of_pr_and_responses_to_them

https://aceproject.org/main/english/es/esf04.htm

https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2017/4/26/15425492/proportional-voting-polarization-urban-rural-third-parties

https://www.fairvote.org/fair_rep_in_congress#why_rcv_for_congress

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/4000?s=4&r=1

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316674290_Does_proportional_representation_foster_voter_turnout

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For most of us, in an ideal world, fewer people would be doing drugs. While many people favor legalization of marijuana, the issue becomes more divisive when we apply it to other drugs.

Nobody wants rampant drug use taking over society. But is legality the thing holding people back from doing drugs? Would legalization lead to a drug-fueled society, with teenagers roaming the streets on meth and rampant crime wreaking havoc all around?

Today, we’re looking at what actually happens when countries legalize drugs.

Show Highlights:

The history of prohibition and its effects on society
A look at how much money we’re sinking into the incarceration of non-violent drug offenders
The correlation between drug use and legalization
What economic changes happen when countries legalize drugs
The impact legalization has on crime
How legalization can lead to health benefits for drug users
A look at countries like Portugal and Sweden, who have taken on progressive drug approaches
What drug legalization does and could look like in America

Sources & Further Reading:
http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893946,00.html

https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2020.html

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/04/30/2018-09062/annual-determination-of-average-cost-of-incarceration

https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p18.pdf

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2018/03/more-imprisonment-does-not-reduce-state-drug-problems

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/dec/05/portugals-radical-drugs-policy-is-working-why-hasnt-the-world-copied-it

https://www.opb.org/article/2020/11/04/oregon-measure-110-decriminalize-drugs/

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-that-have-decriminalized-drugs.html

https://ssir.org/articles/entry/inside_switzerlands_radical_drug_policy_innovation

https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/making-economic-case-legalizing-drugs

https://www.cato.org/blog/55-americans-favor-decriminalizing-drugs

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Episode 1: Is Ranked Choice a Better Choice?
Welcome to Beyond Party Lines, where we take the political noise out of politics.

“Sometimes you just have to vote for the lesser of two evils”

“Don’t throw away your vote on a third-party candidate”

“Anybody but [insert either candidate here]”

Sound familiar? Our electoral system plays into that idea it’s normal to vote AGAINST someone rather than FOR someone. We can’t exercise our voices without wasting our votes. But there are other systems out there, designed to help you vote for someone that actually represents you without sacrificing your vote.

Maybe there’s a better way. Today we’re discussing Ranked Choice Voting, and how it could bring more power back to voters, and give them more (and better) choices.

Show Highlights:

Pros and cons of our current plurality voting system

How some candidates are winning with as little as 26% of the vote

How (and why) our current elections reinforce the two-party system

Why run-offs don’t always work as well as they’re supposed to

The costs of holding run-offs and special elections

How Ranked Choice voting works

The pros and cons of Ranked Choice

Who is using Ranked Choice successfully


Sources & Further Reading:
https://time.com/5718941/ranked-choice-voting/

https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095737871

https://www.fairvote.org/what_affects_voter_turnout_rates

https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/election-costs.aspx

https://ballotpedia.org/Runoff_election

https://www.caller.com/story/news/local/2017/02/20/estimate-special-election-costs-less-expected/98150380/

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/data/voter-turnout-in-presidential-elections

https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/rcv.html

https://www.npr.org/2020/10/07/921287288/how-maines-ranked-choice-voting-system-works

https://www.vox.com/2020/11/19/21537126/alaska-measure-2-ranked-choice-voting-results

https://www.wgbh.org/news/politics/2020/11/04/why-did-massachusetts-reject-ranked-choice-voting

https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2020/07/08/two-utah-lawmakers-seek/

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