How to Fix America’s Broken Political System

Summary

The article proposes a solution to America's political gridlock and gerrymandering by advocating for the implementation of cumulative voting in both state and congressional elections.

Abstract

The article titled "How to Fix America’s Broken Political System" suggests that the current political system in the United States is flawed, as evidenced by the need for unprecedented voter turnout to ensure a president's removal from office and the resulting government gridlock. The author, referencing David Frum's piece in The Atlantic, emphasizes the unrepresentative nature of state governments due to gerrymandering and the lack of compromise and cooperation in the political system. To address these issues, the author proposes the elimination of electoral districts and the adoption of cumulative voting. This change would allow voters to allocate multiple votes across candidates, potentially enabling those from less populated areas to be represented without the need for gerrymandered districts. The author argues that this approach could weaken the control of political parties over elected officials and encourage a "country before party" mindset.

Opinions

The current U.S. political system is described as broken, particularly due to the influence of gerrymandering.
The author believes that the high voter turnout in the 2020 presidential election was an indicator of systemic flaws rather than a healthy democratic process.
The article suggests that the U.S. system's reliance on compromise and cooperation is failing due to a lack of the necessary political spirit.
The author is critical of the gridlock produced by the electoral system, which they attribute to the disproportionate influence of strategically positioned voters in small states.
The proposed solution of cumulative voting is presented as a means to both eliminate gerrymandering and alleviate political gridlock.
The author posits that cumulative voting could empower voters in less populated areas and reduce the stranglehold of political parties on their elected members.
The article advocates for a shift in focus from party interests to national interests, suggesting that the proposed electoral changes could facilitate this transition.

Wipe gerrymandering off the map; it’s easy and will alleviate gridlock at the same time

It should not take the largest voter turnout in U.S. history to guarantee that a president rejected by the majority of the American people actually stops being president.

Even given that turnout, assuming Trump steps down, the electoral system will produce a gridlocked government — not because “the voters” or “the American people” wanted it that way, but because strategically positioned voters in small states did. The unrepresentativeness of state governments is even more extreme because of gerrymandering.[Emphasis added]

He goes on to say:

The U.S. system depends on compromise and cooperation. The administration cannot administer without the budgets and laws passed by Congress; Congress cannot legislate without dealmaking between the parties and (except in the most extreme cases) a signature from the president. Yet the spirit necessary to make the U.S. system work is draining away.

One simple revision to our election process will both eliminate the effect of gerrymandering and break the gridlock. I propose that at both the congressional and state levels, eliminate districts and change to cumulative voting. Thus, if a state has 15 seats in the House of Representatives, each citizen has 15 votes to allocate among the candidates as the elector wishes. This should enable candidates from lesser populated areas to accumulate enough votes to finish in the top 15 if they garner enough support among voters in their no-longer-extant districts. The elimination of districts should break the stranglehold that the parties have over their elected members and restore “country before party.”

The House of Representatives can be the Beacon of Light

How to Fix America’s Broken Political System

Wipe gerrymandering off the map; it’s easy and will alleviate gridlock at the same time