Beyond Party Lines

Beyond Party Lines

By Daniel Wavering & Cassie Henderson NguyenNewsPolitics
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Beyond Party Lines episodes

  • Can Proportional Representation Fix Our Lack of Representation?
    Episode 3: Can Proportional Representation Fix Our Lack of Representation?

    Welcome to Beyond Party Lines, where we take the political noise out of politics.

    Who feels like their members of congress are ACTUALLY representing them? Many of us live in states that vote opposite us, to the point where our vote doesn’t even matter. Others live in swing states where winners inch in with barely 50% of the vote (or sometimes even LESS!)

    Either way, a good chunk of us are going through life without representation in our government.

    Does that sound fair? No wonder people feel like they shouldn’t even bother voting.

    Today we’re tackling a potential political reform concept— proportional representation, and how it could help the problem.

    Show Highlights:
    • A look at the current single-member, winner-takes-all approach to representation
    • How winner-takes-all impacts campaigning and swing states
    • The problem with “blue states” and “red states”
    • How proportional representation works
    • The pros and cons of the three main types
    • Proportional allocation in the electoral college
    • How proportional representation could get implemented
    • The Fair Representation Act
      • Sources & Further Reading:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT0I-sdoSXU

      https://www.fairvote.org/how_proportional_representation_elections_work

      https://www.fordham.edu/download/downloads/id/14401/Presidents_Must_Be_Elected_Popularly___Democracy_Clinic.pdf

      https://www.fairvote.org/common_criticisms_of_pr_and_responses_to_them

      https://aceproject.org/main/english/es/esf04.htm

      https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2017/4/26/15425492/proportional-voting-polarization-urban-rural-third-parties

      https://www.fairvote.org/fair_rep_in_congress#why_rcv_for_congress

      https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/4000?s=4&r=1

      https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316674290_Does_proportional_representation_foster_voter_turnout

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      29 min
    • What Happens When You Legalize Drugs?

      For most of us, in an ideal world, fewer people would be doing drugs. While many people favor legalization of marijuana, the issue becomes more divisive when we apply it to other drugs.

      Nobody wants rampant drug use taking over society. But is legality the thing holding people back from doing drugs? Would legalization lead to a drug-fueled society, with teenagers roaming the streets on meth and rampant crime wreaking havoc all around?

      Today, we’re looking at what actually happens when countries legalize drugs.

      Show Highlights:
      • The history of prohibition and its effects on society
      • A look at how much money we’re sinking into the incarceration of non-violent drug offenders
      • The correlation between drug use and legalization
      • What economic changes happen when countries legalize drugs
      • The impact legalization has on crime
      • How legalization can lead to health benefits for drug users
      • A look at countries like Portugal and Sweden, who have taken on progressive drug approaches
      • What drug legalization does and could look like in America
        • Sources & Further Reading:

        http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893946,00.html

        https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2020.html

        https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/04/30/2018-09062/annual-determination-of-average-cost-of-incarceration

        https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p18.pdf

        https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2018/03/more-imprisonment-does-not-reduce-state-drug-problems

        https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/dec/05/portugals-radical-drugs-policy-is-working-why-hasnt-the-world-copied-it

        https://www.opb.org/article/2020/11/04/oregon-measure-110-decriminalize-drugs/

        https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-that-have-decriminalized-drugs.html

        https://ssir.org/articles/entry/inside_switzerlands_radical_drug_policy_innovation

        https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/making-economic-case-legalizing-drugs

        https://www.cato.org/blog/55-americans-favor-decriminalizing-drugs

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        37 min
      • Is Ranked Choice a Better Choice?
        Episode 1: Is Ranked Choice a Better Choice?

        Welcome to Beyond Party Lines, where we take the political noise out of politics.

        “Sometimes you just have to vote for the lesser of two evils”

        “Don’t throw away your vote on a third-party candidate”

        “Anybody but [insert either candidate here]”

        Sound familiar? Our electoral system plays into that idea it’s normal to vote AGAINST someone rather than FOR someone. We can’t exercise our voices without wasting our votes. But there are other systems out there, designed to help you vote for someone that actually represents you without sacrificing your vote.

        Maybe there’s a better way. Today we’re discussing Ranked Choice Voting, and how it could bring more power back to voters, and give them more (and better) choices.

        Show Highlights:
        • Pros and cons of our current plurality voting system
        • How some candidates are winning with as little as 26% of the vote
        • How (and why) our current elections reinforce the two-party system
        • Why run-offs don’t always work as well as they’re supposed to
        • The costs of holding run-offs and special elections
        • How Ranked Choice voting works
        • The pros and cons of Ranked Choice
        • Who is using Ranked Choice successfully
          • Sources & Further Reading:

          https://time.com/5718941/ranked-choice-voting/

          https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095737871

          https://www.fairvote.org/what_affects_voter_turnout_rates

          https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/election-costs.aspx

          https://ballotpedia.org/Runoff_election

          https://www.caller.com/story/news/local/2017/02/20/estimate-special-election-costs-less-expected/98150380/

          https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/data/voter-turnout-in-presidential-elections

          https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/upcoming/rcv.html

          https://www.npr.org/2020/10/07/921287288/how-maines-ranked-choice-voting-system-works

          https://www.vox.com/2020/11/19/21537126/alaska-measure-2-ranked-choice-voting-results

          https://www.wgbh.org/news/politics/2020/11/04/why-did-massachusetts-reject-ranked-choice-voting

          https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2020/07/08/two-utah-lawmakers-seek/

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          44 min

        About Beyond Party Lines

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        Taking the political noise out of politics