200 Scholars Call on Congress to Reform Winner-Take-All Elections
On September 19th, 200 scholars signed an open letter to Congress: Letter to Congress on Ending Single Member Congressional Districts and Adopting Proportional Representation. The letter calls on Congress to scrap our winner-take-all House elections and “adopt inclusive, multimember districts with competitive and responsive proportional representation.”
The scholars pose two main concerns with our existing winner-take-all House elections. First, elections for the U.S House of Representatives are largely uncompetitive:
According to a recent analysis of the newly-redistricted House map, more than 90% of districts are effectively a lock for one of the parties this November. This means that many millions of voters have no meaningful say in general elections, with the overwhelming majority of Congress effectively chosen by low-turnout primaries.
Because parties are locked in those districts, the winner is determined in the party primary. House general elections have little impact on overall election results.
Second, single-winner districts are inherently under-representative. Even in districts that are not gerrymandered, single-winner districts bar certain groups from representation (think rural Democrats or urban Republicans). With Americans so accustomed to partisan geographic stereotypes, we forget that “on the scale of our communities, regions, and states, the United States remains a diverse and complex political tapestry.” The diverse views that exist in each district are drowned out by the winner-take-all system.
As the letter points out, Congress has the power to change this. By instituting proportional multimember districts, Congress could reduce polarization, address gerrymandering, and ensure real competition for every House seat. Proportional multi-member districts are a constitutional and historically proven solution to the issues that plague our House elections.
FairVote has long been the nation’s leading advocate for proportional multi-member districts. The Fair Representation Act that we support is a comprehensive solution to uncompetitive and under-representative districts. It would establish multi-member districts for congressional elections and institute ranked choice voting in those elections. The Fair Representation Act is the type of reform that these 200 scholars are demanding.
If you too would like to see proportional multi-member districts in Congress, contact your representative and express your support for the Fair Representation Act.
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