Freakonomics Radio 255. Ten Ideas to Make Politics Less Rotten
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Jul 28, 2016 Exploring electoral and political ideas to improve the current system in the US, including open primaries, ranked choice voting, and mandatory voting. Discussing the impact of live audiences on presidential debates and proposing reforms to the US Constitution. Analyzing the effects of the 2000 election and exit polls on voter turnout.
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Closed Primaries Fuel Polarization
- Closed primaries exclude unaffiliated voters from selecting nominees, leading to harder partisanship. - This exclusion empowers more ideologically extreme activists, which narrows candidate options in general elections.
Ranked Choice Voting Improves Campaigns
- Adopt ranked choice voting to allow voters to rank preferences and avoid vote splitting. - This system tends to elect more broadly liked candidates and encourages polite campaigns.
Multi-Member Districts for Fair Representation
- Implement multi-member districts to enable proportional representation of political views within districts. - This approach ensures left, center, and right viewpoints get elected fairly.