Democracy + Elections
What Can Portland Learn from America’s Oldest Proportional Election System?
City Councilor Burhan Azeem shares his experiences from Cambridge, Massachusetts.
A Fairer Election System in Alaska Helped More Independents Win OfficeÂ
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.
