Why US elections only give you two choices

Summary

The video script discusses the limitations of the two-party system in the US and the winner-takes-all election system, which often results in unrepresentative outcomes. It highlights the lack of diversity in Congress due to this system and contrasts it with proportional representation systems used in other democracies, such as Germany. The script explores different types of proportional representation, including closed and open list systems, mixed-member proportional, and ranked choice voting, which could potentially lead to a more representative and less polarized Congress. It suggests that changing the electoral system to multi-winner elections could open up more coalition possibilities and improve democracy in the US.

Takeaways

• 🏆 The US electoral system often results in a winner-takes-all outcome, which can lead to unrepresentative outcomes.
• 🤔 Many Americans are dissatisfied with the two-party system and desire more political options.
• 🚫 Voting for third-party candidates in the current system can inadvertently support the party you least agree with, as it's often seen as a protest vote.
• 🔍 The New England region, despite having a significant Republican vote, does not have any Republican Representatives in Congress due to the winner-takes-all system.
• 📊 Proportional representation systems, used in many democracies, allocate seats in parliaments based on the percentage of votes a party receives.
• 📝 There are various types of proportional representation, including closed list, open list, mixed-member proportional, and ranked choice voting.
• 🌐 Germany's Free Democratic Party, despite not winning any single constituencies, secured a significant number of seats due to proportional representation.
• 📈 Ranked choice voting encourages support for smaller parties by using secondary preferences if the first choice is not viable.
• 🔄 Changing to multi-winner elections could make Congress more representative and potentially reduce polarization.
• 📚 Federal law currently limits each Congressional district to electing only one Representative, which would need to change for a more proportional system.
• 🌟 Experimenting with different forms of proportional representation at state and local levels could lead to a stronger democracy in the United States.

Q & A

What is the main issue with the current two-party system in the US?

The main issue is that despite a significant portion of the population not wanting the two-party system, the 'winner takes all' election system often leads to a lack of representation for third parties, resulting in a less diverse and polarized political landscape.

How does the 'winner takes all' system affect third-party representation in Congress?

In the 'winner takes all' system, even if a third party receives a significant percentage of the vote, it may still not win any seats in Congress, as the candidate with the most votes in each district wins, which typically favors the two major parties.

What is an example of how the current system fails to represent the political views of a region?

In New England, despite 36% of voters supporting Republicans in the 2022 Congressional elections, none of the region's 21 Representatives are Republicans, indicating that the perspectives of New England Republicans are not reflected in Congress.

How does the German electoral system differ from the US system?

Germany uses a form of proportional representation, where the share of votes a party receives translates into a similar share of seats in parliament, allowing for better representation of smaller parties and a more diverse political landscape.

What are the four common types of proportional representation mentioned in the script?

The four common types are closed list, open list, mixed-member proportional, and ranked choice voting. Each system has a different method for translating votes into seats, with varying levels of direct candidate selection by the voter.

How does ranked choice voting encourage voting for smaller parties?

Ranked choice voting allows voters to rank multiple candidates, which means that if their first choice is not winning, their vote can still count towards their second or third choice, potentially benefiting smaller parties and less established candidates.

What is the key to making the US Congress more representative and less polarized?

The key is to transition from single-winner elections to multi-winner elections, either by creating larger districts that elect multiple representatives or by expanding the size of Congress to allow more representatives per district.

What is the current federal law regarding the number of Representatives a district can elect?

Federal law states that no Congressional district can elect more than one Representative, which would need to be changed to implement multi-winner elections.

States and cities have the autonomy to choose how their legislatures and city councils are elected. They can experiment with different forms of proportional representation, which may have lower hurdles to implementation compared to changing federal laws.

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What is the significance of updating the US electoral system?

Updating the electoral system could lead to a more representative democracy, allowing for a wider range of political views to be heard and potentially opening up more coalitional possibilities for lawmaking.

Outlines

00:00

🗳️ The Flawed Two-Party System

This paragraph discusses the limitations of the two-party system in the United States, highlighting the lack of representation for third parties and the consequences of 'winner-take-all' elections. It points out that a significant portion of the population is dissatisfied with the two major parties and desires more options. The script uses the example of New England's lack of Republican representation in Congress despite a significant number of Republican votes to illustrate the issue. It also compares the US system with Germany's proportional representation, where a party like the Free Democratic Party can win seats in parliament without winning any constituencies, showcasing a more inclusive political landscape.

05:02

📊 Proportional Representation Systems

The paragraph explores various proportional representation systems used around the world, such as closed list, open list, mixed-member proportional, and ranked choice voting. It explains how these systems work and their benefits in ensuring that the distribution of power in a legislature is proportional to the votes cast. The script emphasizes that while these systems can encourage voting for smaller parties, they still face challenges in single-winner elections. It suggests that making Congress more representative could change the partisan dynamic and open up more coalition possibilities for lawmaking. The paragraph concludes by discussing potential ways to implement these systems in the US, such as through multi-winner elections or expanding the size of Congress, and the need for federal law changes to allow for these reforms.

Keywords

💡Two-party system

A political system where two major political parties dominate the political landscape, often to the exclusion of smaller parties. In the video, it is mentioned that many people in the US are dissatisfied with the two-party system and desire more options, indicating a desire for political diversity beyond the traditional Democratic and Republican parties.

💡Winner-takes-all

An electoral system where the candidate or party that receives the most votes in a given district wins the seat, and no seats are allocated to other contenders. The video explains how this system can lead to a lack of representation for minority parties, as seen in New England where no Republican representatives are elected despite a significant percentage of Republican votes.

💡Proportional representation

A system of election in which the distribution of seats corresponds to the proportion of votes each party receives. The video contrasts this with the winner-takes-all system, highlighting how proportional representation allows for a more diverse range of political parties to be represented in government, as seen in Germany's parliament.

💡Closed list

A type of proportional representation where voters cast their ballots for a party rather than individual candidates, and the party's list of candidates determines who gets elected based on the party's overall vote share. The video uses Spain as an example of a country that uses a closed list system, which can lead to a more diverse political landscape.

💡Open list

Another form of proportional representation where voters can choose individual candidates within a party, and the party's overall vote share determines how many seats it wins, with the most popular candidates from each party being elected. The video mentions Finland, Belgium, and Denmark as examples of countries using open list systems.

💡Mixed-member proportional

A hybrid electoral system that combines elements of both single-member district elections and proportional representation. In the video, it is explained that Germany uses this system, where voters cast two votes: one for a candidate and one for a party, resulting in a more balanced representation in the parliament.

💡Ranked choice voting

An electoral system where voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed based on the second choices, continuing until a winner is determined. The video suggests that ranked choice voting can encourage support for smaller parties and less established candidates.

💡Multi-winner elections

Elections designed to produce multiple winners from a single electoral district, which can lead to more proportional representation. The video proposes that changing from single-winner to multi-winner elections could make Congress more representative and less polarized, potentially allowing for a broader range of political parties to have a voice.

💡Gerrymandering

The practice of manipulating the boundaries of electoral districts to favor one party or class. The video briefly mentions gerrymandering as a factor that can affect election outcomes, although it also points out that even without gerrymandering, the current electoral system can still lead to disproportionate representation.

💡Legislative representation

The process by which elected officials are chosen to represent the interests of their constituents in a legislative body. The video discusses the importance of having a legislative system that accurately reflects the diverse political views of the population, which is currently not the case in the US due to the winner-takes-all system.

💡Democratic dynamics

The way in which the structure and rules of a democracy influence political behavior and outcomes. The video suggests that changing the electoral system could alter the dynamics around the presidency by allowing for more diverse coalitions and combinations of parties to pass laws, potentially leading to a more functional and collaborative government.

Highlights

The US election system often results in a two-party choice, despite the public's desire for more options.

Voting for a third party in the US is often seen as a protest vote, as it helps the party you least agree with.

In New England, despite 36% of voters supporting Republicans, none of the 21 Representatives are Republican due to the 'winner takes all' system.

Oklahoma votes one-third Democratic but has no Democratic Representatives, illustrating the flaws in the current election system.

In a hypothetical scenario with a popular third party, that party would still earn zero seats in Congress under the current system.

Proportional representation systems, like those in Germany, allow for a more equitable distribution of seats based on vote shares.

There are four common types of proportional representation: closed list, open list, mixed-member proportional, and ranked choice voting.

In a closed list system, voters choose a party, not a candidate, and party lists determine the representatives.

Open list systems allow voters to choose candidates, with seats going to the most voted individuals within each party.

Mixed-member proportional systems, like Germany's, involve casting two votes: one for a candidate and one for a party.

Ranked choice voting encourages voting for smaller parties by using multiple candidate rankings and a threshold for victory.

Proportional representation systems distribute power more fairly than 'winner takes all' systems.

To make Congress more representative, single-winner elections could be replaced with multi-winner elections.

Changing federal law would allow for the expansion of proportional representation in US elections.

State and local elections offer opportunities for experimenting with different proportional representation systems.

Updating the US election system could lead to more effective and community-focused representation in Congress.

The simplicity of the current rule hides many problems in the US democratic system.

Viewer contributions are crucial for the production of educational content, such as a tutorial on Vox's document animation technique.

Transcripts

The person who gets the most votes wins.

Let's talk about this.

In the US,

we basically have two choices in elections.

And... listen.

It's not going amazing.

“Government shutdown”

“Split Congress”

“Great divide”

“Cannot agree”

“Too polarized”

“Big majorities don't want either one of them running.”

Big majorities of us actually don't want the two-party system at all.

We want more options.

But a lot of the time,

we actually do have more options.

It's just that, when it comes time to vote for them,

we mostly don't.

We kind of can't.

In our system, voting for a third party

helps the party you least agree with.

It's just a protest vote.

But there's a way

we could make it more than that.

We just need to take a closer look at this.

New England.

The northeastern region of the US.

About 15 million people live here.

These six states send 21 Representatives to Congress.

And in the 2022 Congressional elections,

36% of voters here voted for Republicans.

But none of this region's 21 Representatives are Republicans.

It means that the perspective of the New England Republicans,

who have historically been fiscally conservative

and more socially progressive, is not reflected in Congress.

This is because of the way we elect Representatives to Congress,

where every Representative comes from a different district,

each district holds its own election,

and in each election,

the person who gets the most votes wins.

These are “winner take all” elections.

And they produce this result all over the country.

Take the state of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma has five Congressional districts.

It votes one third Democratic.

It has no Democratic Representatives.

And before we start blaming gerrymandering for this,

in other words, the shape of these districts,

in Massachusetts, which I admit does look kind of gerrymandered,

a group of independent mapmakers looked at this situation.

And they tried to draw new district maps

that would give Republicans some representation here.

But they found that, “though there are more ways of building

a districting plan than particles in the galaxy,

every single one would produce a 9-0 Democratic delegation.”

And now imagine if,

in every single House race, there was also a really popular

third party, getting 25% of the vote,

in every district in the country.

That party would earn...

zero seats in Congress.

If you ask yourself, why haven't you voted for a third party,

most of the time it’s, well, they don't really have a chance.

Our system, by its very nature, precludes political competition.

But most democracies

don't actually work this way.

In 2021,

a German center-right party called the Free Democratic Party

won about 90 seats in Germany's parliament.

German federal elections have about 300 constituencies

that work sort of like America's districts,

with each one electing a single representative.

And out of every one of those races,

the Free Democratic Party

did not win a single one.

But Germany uses a form of what is called

“proportional representation.”

Proportional representation means that a share of votes

gets you a share of seats.

These are four common types of proportional representation,

and one way to understand each of them is,

are you voting for a person, or are you voting for a party?

So at one end of that spectrum,

in a “closed list” system, like they use in Spain, for example,

you might not even vote for a candidate.

You’d just vote for a party.

Each party wins some percentage of the vote,

and those percentages each translate into a certain number of seats.

The people who fill those seats come off of each party's “list.”

So voters don't get to choose those candidates.

That's the “closed” part.

But there are also “open list” systems

which are maybe the most common, used in places like Finland,

Belgium, Denmark.

A standard version of this is, you vote for a person,

and your vote counts towards a larger party total

sort of like we saw before,

determining how many seats each party gets.

But in open list, you do choose the candidates.

The seats go to the people in each party who got the most votes.

Germany uses a system called “mixed-member proportional.”

Mixed, because in their system you cast two votes:

for a person, and for a party.

Each district elects one person,

and those people fill some of the seats in Parliament.

But the rest of the seats are filled by looking at the party vote,

and then doling the remaining seats out to the parties,

until the end product is proportional to the party vote.

And the last one we'll look at

is the one that Ireland uses to elect its legislature.

And this is actually a version of something

we're already starting to do

in some congressional and local races in the US.

“Ranked choice”

“ranked choice”

“ranked choice voting.”

In ranked choice voting, instead of just voting for one person,

you rank multiple candidates.

It's a system that encourages you to vote for smaller parties

and less established candidates,

because if your first choice is unpopular,

they use your second choice vote.

And that process repeats itself, until a certain threshold is reached.

On its own, though,

ranked choice voting doesn't necessarily

make these smaller candidates that much more likely to actually win.

They will be at a disadvantage in any election that only one person can win.

But: if you lower the threshold of victory in a ranked choice race,

that produces multiple winners,

more proportional to the vote.

All of these systems have different formulas

for turning votes into representation.

What they have in common is, they all distribute power proportionally,

instead of just relying on this.

Now, you'll notice we’ve spent the last few minutes

talking about Congress, and parliaments: legislatures.

Presidential elections

can definitely be made more fair, that is another video.

But they will always, by definition, be single-winner elections,

most likely to be won by the more established parties.

But if Congress is more representative and less polarized,

it could change the whole partisan dynamic around the presidency.

Right now, if the president wants to pass a law,

he or she, with rare exceptions, needs

both Democrats and Republican Party support.

But if there were three, or four, or five parties in Congress,

that would open up far more coalitional possibilities

and combinations to pass laws.

The key to making this happen will be taking these

single-winner elections that we use to elect Congress,

and replacing them with multi-winner elections that pick, say,

3 to 5 people to represent a district.

For example, Oklahoma, now five congressional districts,

could act as a single district,

holding an election that five people can win.

It would still mostly be represented by Republicans,

just not exclusively.

Another option is that we could keep many of our current districts,

and just make Congress bigger:

so, use each district to elect more Representatives.

But okay.

How do we actually do any of this?

Federal law currently says that no Congressional district

can elect more than one Representative.

So to make Congress more representative,

that is what will need to change.

But that change needs to be made by... Congress.

When the country is struggling to even agree on small things,

it can feel really unthinkable.

But then there are plenty of indicators that being a member of Congress

is pretty miserable these days.

Changing the system would let members

focus on the reasons they ran for Congress in the first place:

serving their community, making sure they get things done.

But there are other ways to change things too.

The states each choose how their own state legislatures get elected.

Cities choose how their city councils get elected.

And the hurdles to changing those are much, much lower.

The more experiments we can try,

the more different forms of proportional representation

we can implement in the United States,

I think the better, ultimately, our democracy will be.

This rule feels really simple.

But that simplicity,

it hides a lot of problems.

We are one of the oldest, if not the oldest, democracy in the world, right?

All these different other democracies, most of the world's democracies,

are using a system that's better.

We just need to update our system.

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