Proposed Electoral Reform in the US

Trust in the US Electoral System is likely at the lowest point in United States history, as voters across ‘both sides of the aisle’ have become disaffected with electoral politics, believing that elected officials do not accurately stand for or act on the interests of their constituents. Yet, despite a widespread appetite for electoral reform, electoral reform initiatives continue to fail when tested in statewide elections. Through this project, I aim to examine both whether proposed electoral reform measures would be effective in addressing voters’ concerns about democratic responsiveness and why voters continue to reject electoral reform measures fail despite increasing public interest. I conclude that the implementation of proposed electoral reform measures would lead to short-run harm but long-term benefit in democratic responsiveness, but as the voting public at large distrusts the elites that are proposing and supporting electoral reform measures, such measures are unlikely to be tested at scale across the United States.