HOW REFORM HAPPENS

Advancing PR at the State-Level:
Starting in California

Proportional representation (PR) can be used in any election for a representative body. It can’t be used in elections for single-winner, executive offices like president, governor, or mayor. In the US, there are three election settings that stand to benefit from the adoption of PR: local elections, state legislatures, and US Congress. With the goal of enabling multiparty democracy in California, ProRep Coalition is committed to adopting PR in California's State Legislature.

Adopting proportional representation would have different impacts in different election settings. When deciding which level of elections PR is best suited for, it's important to be clear about the outcomes being sought and what the route to reform looks like.

ProRep Coalition is advocating for PR in California's legislature because it is the state's only election setting wherein PR would produce multiparty democracy and because we have a uniquely powerful route to reform: the ballot initiative.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR REFORM

Local Elections

(i.e. City Councils, School Boards)

Although most local elections in the US are non-partisan, reforms like Proportional RCV allows voters to rank candidates by preference. Voters can rank as many candidates as they want, without fear that doing so will hurt their favorite candidate’s chances. This system has already been adopted in eight US cities, with more projected to adopt this system in the future. To learn more about local efforts for PRCV in California, below are a few coalition members championing the reform:

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Coalition Structure & Website Map (25).png

US Congress

Adopting proportional representation at the federal level requires a repeal of the Uniform Congressional Districting Act, which was enacted in 1967 and mandates the use of single-member districts for House elections. Its repeal would allow states to have the option of using proportional multi-member districts to select their members of Congress, which would then lead to multiparty representation. To learn more about national efforts to advance proportional representation in the US House of Representatives, below are two coalition members working on this campaign:

State Legislatures

United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

Long considered our laboratories of democracy, our 50 state legislatures present the most promising opportunity for adopting proportional representation as means to dismantling the two-party system. In particular, 26 states have an initiative process, referendum process, or both at the statewide level, which could allow voters to adopt PR without the support of the governor or legislature. While ProRep Coalition is currently the only organization actively championing PR at the state-level (in California), we’re helping emerging efforts in other states get their movements off the ground.

In California, ballot measures can either be referred by the state legislature, or be citizen-initiated. A citizen-led ballot initiative for PR could take the form of a constitutional amendment or a state statute. As of 2024, to qualify a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment for the ballot, organizers must collect around 875,000 petition signatures. To qualify a citizen-initiated state stature for the ballot, organizers must collect around 545,000 petition signatures.

At the moment, there are more than 475,000 registered voters among just the ballot qualified parties working with ProRep Coalition.

26 states have an initiative process, referendum process, or both at the statewide level, which could allow voters to adopt PR without the support of the governor or legislature.

Source

Our Theory of Change

1) Public Education

Electoral system design is a science. In both California as well as the broader US, there are scores of political scientists that have dedicated their careers to analyzing the different electoral systems of the world and their impacts on representation, which is why we know that PR tends to produce multiparty legislatures.

ProRep Coalition is dedicated to working alongside the academic community to make sure we're generating accessible, accurate educational content that raises awareness for proportional representation as a powerful solution to our antiquated, far-reaching two-party problems.

2) Coalition-Building

For decades, parties and organizations scattered across the political spectrum have struggled to represent like-minded voters and champion popular policy proposals.

One of ProRep's primary goals is to form a broad, inclusive coalition that represents and reflects the full breadth of our state’s racial and ideological diversity. We’re committed to working with all groups and advocates open to advocating for proportional representation regardless of their political preferences, financial resources, organizational missions, age, gender, or race.

3) Direct Democracy

Through ballot initiatives, California allows citizens to propose laws and constitutional amendments without the support of the Governor or the Legislature. We believe that democratic reforms should be produced democratically, so in collaboration with our coalition partners, we're leading a movement for a ballot initiative that will bring proportional representation to California's State Legislature.

4) Multiparty California

Provided we effectively educate the public about the benefits and promise of multiparty democracy, build a robust coalition that participates in these efforts, and gather enough petition signatures and votes to pass the initiative, we fully anticipate that in 2028 California will become the first multiparty US State. Ideally, our success will provide a template for reform for other states to emulate, leading to a wave of proportional representation across the country.

HOW REFORM HAPPENS

Advancing PR at the State-Level: Starting in California

Advancing PR at the State-Level:
Starting in California