Three things to think about this August 17th
Former President Donald Trump is back under the spotlight with a new indictment related to his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election. If this feels like déjà vu, it is. We covered a similar story in our previous edition of Three Things.
Amidst this media frenzy, some pivotal state elections might have slipped under your radar. In Ohio, voters defeated Issue 1, which would have ended majority rule in the state. If it had passed, a supermajority of Ohio voters (60%) would have been required to approve any proposed law or constitutional amendment on the ballot. That would mean a mere 40% minority could have vetoed the will of the majority. Fortunately, voters rejected that cynical effort and defended the sacred principle of “one person, one vote.” Unite America was proud to invest in last week’s victory (learn more here). Stay tuned for our next Three Things for a comprehensive insight into why the ballot initiative and referendum process is critical to our democracy.
In other election news, Mississippi held its primary for state legislative offices last week. Last cycle, only about 10% of Mississippi voters elected their entire state house. Check out our “X” (formerly known as Twitter) Thread for more on the Primary Problem in Mississippi.
1. Coming next March: The Primary Solution, by Nick Troiano
If you follow us on “X”, you may have seen the exciting news: Our executive director, Nick Troiano, has just submitted the final manuscript for a book that will be published next year!
The Primary Solution: Rescuing Our Democracy from the Fringes describes how partisan primaries have become the biggest solvable problem in American politics today. Most importantly, it details how we can fix it through nonpartisan, state-based reform.
The Primary Solution will be published by Simon & Schuster in March 2024. Pre-orders are now available — please visit our website to learn more. (All proceeds will benefit Unite America and be invested in the election reform movement.)
We look forward to sharing more in the months to come. If you’re interested in learning more or would like to explore collaborations or events around the book launch next year, please email hello@uniteamerica.org.
2. Dr. Rich Barton talks primary reform with Veterans for Political Innovation
Last week, Unite America Fellow and Syracuse University Professor Dr. Rich Barton joined our partners at Veterans for Political Innovation (VPI) to talk about primary reform. VPI is a nonprofit that mobilizes military veterans to advocate for election reforms that improve governance.
Rich is a leading academic voice in the reform movement, and has authored two reports with us on the benefits of nonpartisan primaries: one about Louisiana and the other on California. His writing has appeared in publications across the country, with recent articles on the Louisiana and California election systems, as well as a timely piece about how more states need to eliminate partisan primaries before we see truly transformative impacts.
You can watch his full interview with VPI’s Todd Connor here.
3. Get your discounted ticket for the American Democracy Summit!
On September 27-29, the democracy reform movement will convene in Los Angeles for the American Democracy Summit. The Summit (formerly known as the Unrig Summit) is the premiere right-left event to solve America’s political crisis. Hosted by RepresentUs, the Summit will feature several high-profile inspiring speakers, entertainers, and cultural influencers, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, former Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang, and Civil Rights Activist Desmond Meade. The full list of speakers and more info about the event can be found here.
Several Unite America staff, including myself, are thrilled to be attending the Summit. If you’d like to join us, you can buy a discounted ticket using the code BETTERDEMOCRACY.
In closing, our thoughts are with all those affected by the devastating wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii.
