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A Fairer Election System in Alaska Helped More Independents Win Office
Open primaries and ranked choice voting likely led to greater political diversity in the Alaska legislature, while their effect on age, gender, and race was less apparent. -
Ranked Choice Voting Would Help Oregonians Vote for their True Favorite
HB 2004 in Oregon’s House of Representatives could bring voters more voice and more choice. -
Hey, Olympia! If You Let Them, Cities Could Double Turnout in Local Elections
The case for freeing Washington cities to run elections on Election Day. -
Voters Want Fewer Elections: Here’s How to Do That
California, Arizona, and Nevada have shifted to even-year elections, boosting turnout and saving money—with lessons for other states. -
Alaska’s Midterm Elections Yield Mixed Results (But in a Good Way)
In the state’s first full ranked choice election, the same pool of voters elected candidates from across the political spectrum. -
The Democracy Reforms Coming to Cascadia
A week after Election Day, we round up the region’s ballot measures and ranked choice contests. -
Alaska Primary Voters Had More Choice in 2022
A larger, more diverse, and competitive candidate pool coincided with the introduction of open primaries and ranked choice voting. -
Cascadians, Get Ready to Vote on Voting
A wave of democracy-related measures are on the region’s ballots this November. -
How Portland’s Form of Government Makes It Hard to Find Parking
Transportation commissioners come and go, but policies to free up curb space remain perpetually stuck at City Hall.
Democracy is a work in progress. The good policy decisions that lead to sustainability rely on a healthy democracy. But politics too frequently derail good and popular policies.
Sightline’s nonpartisan Democracy program focuses on fixes to America’s electoral systems that put more leaders in office on both sides of the aisle who are actually willing to fight for what most Americans want: homes they can afford near where they work, learn, and recreate; good-paying jobs that support their families; clean, efficient transportation options; and clean air and water in a healthy climate.
To this end, we envision a democracy that is more fair, inclusive, and truly reflects the values and needs of American voters. To achieve our goals, we focus on a variety of democracy fixes, including stifling extreme partisanship through open primaries, allowing voters more freedom to express their true preferences through ranked choice voting and proportional representation, and expanding access to voting for all.
Meet the team
Press Clips
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A fairer election system in Alaska helped more Independents win office
Alaska Current May 30, 2023
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Alaska election system helped more Independents win office
Alaska Native News May 23, 2023
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Analysis of Alaska’s open primary and ranked choice system
Election Law Blog May 22, 2023
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Ranked choice voting would help Oregonians vote for their true favorite
Ashland Chronicle May 22, 2023
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Idaho bill bans ranked choice voting, while Alaska voters like it
DailyFLY (Idaho) February 27, 2023