Our Purpose and Plan
Our goal is a political system that voices the will of American voters, encourages cooperation, and provides fair elections for all candidates.
VotersTakeCharge.us is an educational resource for voters. We evaluate voting methods and write articles on election topics. We present two proposals for primary elections: Neutral Open Primaries and Extended Primaries. Also, a simple math method to achieve accurate proportional representation with a minimum of at-large seats is described.
The Problems
Vote splitting causes the spoiler effect in traditional Choose 1 voting. Ralph Nader spoiled the chances of Al Gore in 2000. Sarah Palin spoiled the chances of fellow Republican Nick Begish in a 2022 race. In most elections, people are afraid to vote for third-party and independent candidates for fear of helping to major party candidate they detest. This locks in two-party rule. To eliminate the spoiler effect, we need rated voting methods like Score, STAR, and BTR-Score.
Two parties are not enough to voice the will of American voters. Republicans in blue districts, Democrats in red districts and third-party candidates everywhere have no chance. Proportional representation will make all elections competitive. If a party wins 30% of the vote, they get 30% of the seats.
Two-party systems can work if the two parties get along. If not, hostility grows with every election. We blame politicians for everything, but the real problem is the system we put them in.
Do Not Give Up
Many Americans have lost confidence in representational democracy. For most of our history, we have done well with democracy, despite the lack of proportional representation and the use of an inferior voting method, Choose One voting.
Why give up when we can make American democracy greater than ever with multi-party election reform?
Voters Know We Need Serious Change
Ask people on the street this question:
“Do you have an interest in serious Election Reform?”
People will surprise you with how receptive they are. Tell them “We need proportional representation so a party that wins 20% of the votes wins 20% of the seats”. If they have a little time, they will give it to you.
Politicians Know We Need Serious Change
Ask an elected officeholder this question:
“Does our current political system give you and your constituents a fair shake?” Most politicians will admit we have a lot of room for improvement.
People run for office because they want to make a difference. They want to help their community, state, or nation. Darn near all politicians could make more money with less work, and much less grief, doing something else.
Our politicians have chosen a noble vocation. It is time to free them from the shackles of a political system that no longer works.
The Plan
First, we must spread the word that we can make great improvements to our political system. Then, we must prove to politicians that they will receive voter love by supporting multi-party election reform. From there, we will work with voters, candidates and officeholders to get the job done.
