Scott Boehmer

Tag: Election Reform

  • How Do We Get Out of This Mess?

    Robert Reich shares 15 ways that he thinks we could improve things in the United States.

    How Do We Get Out of This Mess? (YouTube – Robert Reich)

  • Protecting North Carolina’s Voter Rolls

    Established in 2012, ERIC offers a modern and common-sense approach to interstate voter registration maintenance. At its core, ERIC is a voluntary and bipartisan interstate collaborative that now includes 21 states and Washington, D.C. Together, member states agree to securely share and cross-reference voter registration data across state boundaries in order to identify and eliminate duplicates, deceased voters, and people who have moved from one state to another.

    Carolina Forward Research Staff

    Protecting North Carolina’s Voter Rolls (Carolina Forward)

  • Ranked Choice Voting would be good for North Carolina

    Let’s talk about Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). It’s a voting system that’s making elections fairer for millions of Americans—nearly 20 million, in fact! But what’s so great about it? Here are a few key benefits:

    1. Winners need majority support: With RCV, winners have to get over 50% of the vote. That means they can’t just squeak by with a small slice of support.
    2. Better campaigning: Candidates can’t just play to their base—they have to appeal to more people. This means fewer nasty attack ads and more focus on real issues.
    3. No more “spoiler” candidates: Ever felt like voting for your favorite candidate might “waste” your vote or hurt your second choice? RCV fixes that. You rank your choices, and if your top pick doesn’t win, that candidate is eliminated, and your vote can still count for your next choice.  This enables broader discussion from a wider range of candidates.
    4. Saves money and increases turnout: RCV skips the need for costly runoffs, which often have low voter participation.
    Don Berryann & Lennie Friedman

    Ranked Choice Voting would be good for North Carolina (NC Newsline)

  • NC GOP Sore Losers

    On the brink of losing their supermajority in the state legislature, North Carolina Republicans overrode a gubernatorial veto on Wednesday to enact a new law that gives them control over elections in the state and strips the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general of some of their powers.

    Sam Levine

    Unfortunately, Western North Carolina had to watch as every Republican in the general assembly shamelessly put their desire to strip political power away from recently elected Democrats ahead of the aid and relief their communities need. Using the guise of Hurricane Helene relief is a new low, even for general assembly Republicans.

    Anderson Clayton, Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party

    North Carolina GOP lawmakers override veto to strip power from Democratic officials (The Guardian)

  • An Uncertain Future for Election Reform

    Supporters of electoral innovation – from ranked-choice voting, to independent redistricting, to proportionally representative systems – face formidable obstacles. Perhaps the most significant is simple voter comprehension.

    Carolina Forward Research Staff

    An Uncertain Future for Election Reform (Carolina Forward)