American democracy was founded to be a government of, by, and for the people. But what happens when our government increasingly reflects quirks of gerrymandering and geography – instead of the people? 

FairVote recently released its Dubious Democracy report, which found that only 24% of the voting-age population voted for a winning candidate in the 2022 House elections. Two-thirds of House elections were landslides or completely uncontested. Our Monopoly Politics report also showed how uncompetitive and partisan elections are becoming – with our research team able to predict the likely 2024 outcomes in 410 House seats, 21 months before they actually happen. 

The reports have been covered in outlets ranging from USA Today to Independent Voter News to Politico and the Washington Post – some alongside the Fix Our House 2022 Redistricting Report, which was released earlier this month and found that only 10% of 2022 House races were competitive:

The 2022 midterm elections were the least competitive, and most partisan in modern history, according to new findings from the nonpartisan group, FairVote. As a result, the ‘People’s House’ isn’t actually representative of the American people at all.

– Independent Voter News

The [Dubious Democracy] report states that the most recent congressional cycle ‘stands out because of a particularly high number of uncontested seats and a particularly low number of competitive seats.’ That’s a problem, the group says, because there’s less incentive for voters to turn out in districts where one party dominates. Candidates from the minority party also have less incentive to run in these circumstances.

– Politico

In its coverage of the Fix Our House report, The Hill highlighted that even states that use independent redistricting commissions did not see a significant increase in competitive House elections. 

Millions of Americans feel like their votes do not count and they are not represented in Congress. The research shows why: our House elections are unrepresentative and uncompetitive. Thankfully, we already know the path forward towards repairing our democracy: the Fair Representation Act (FRA) would give better choices and a stronger voice to every American, no matter where we live or how much operatives try to gerrymander the lines. There are urban Republicans, rural Democrats, and independents everywhere waiting to be heard in Congress, and the FRA would empower them.