The future of election reform

Election reformers suffered some problems in 2024 when ballot initiatives proposing open primaries and ranked choice voting lost in several states. These reforms had been proposed as ways to improve campaign discourse, empower independents, and elect more moderate candidates. States where ranked choice voting and open primaries were on the ballot either opposed the proposals outright or supported prohibitions on adopting the measures. While rationales differed, many opponents claimed ranked choice voting was too complicated, voters would be confused by the electoral mechanism, and the reform violated traditional voting practices of “one person, one vote.” This is despite evidence in places where ranked-choice-voting has been adopted that voters cast their ballots accurately, saw more civil discourse, and experienced more moderate governance. 

On December 12, join the Governance Studies program at Brookings for a webinar featuring election experts who will analyze the 2024 election ballot initiatives and discuss the lessons to be learned for future efforts at election reform.  

Viewers can submit questions for speakers by emailing [email protected] or via X (formerly Twitter) at @BrookingsGov by using #ElectionReform.