California's Electoral System Needs Reform

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Liz Wu
California Media Relations Manager
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SACRAMENTO, CA - In the wake of Tuesday's record low voter turnout and the resounding defeat of five of six ballot measures proposed by the Legislature, the New America Foundation renewed its call for a fundamental overhaul of California's dysfunctional electoral system.

"The voter anger and apathy that marked yesterday's special election are signs of the governing paralysis California has inflicted upon itself through decades of piecemeal, incremental reform," said Mark Paul, Senior Scholar and Deputy Director of New America's California Program. "Only by rethinking our constitution can California hope to get out of this self-imposed bind."

If a Constitutional Convention is convened, it should consider a more democratic method of electing the Legislature, according to New America experts on voting and governance.

"California should have a Legislature that looks and thinks like California does, and the best way to do that would be to elect the Legislature by proportional representation" said Blair Bobier, Deputy Director of New America's Political Reform Program. "Proportional representation would give Californians more choices and new voices at the ballot box and in the halls of government."

It should not be surprising that the Legislature does not accurately represent the diversity of California's citizens, since the electorate-those who are registered to vote-do not even reflect this diversity.

"California needs to have a system of universal voter registration to ensure the widest possible access to the democratic process. There is a huge difference between the people who are the citizens of this state and the people who are voters. Only a fraction of citizens are voters and those who vote are not representative of the population," said Steven Hill, Director of New America's Political Reform Program.

New America supports universal voter registration, instant runoff voting and proportional representation as necessary, fundamental reforms for California.

"There's no question that California is completely broken. If you took your car into the shop and the engine was blown out, you wouldn't pay the mechanic to tinker with it. You'd junk it and get something new that actually works. That's what California should do," said Hill.

About the New America Foundation
The New America Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy institute that invests in new thinkers and new ideas to address the next generation of challenges facing the United States.