Two short articles from the Union of Concerned Scientists that get right down to how to find our way out of this mess. An agenda to prioritize for the new Congress!

How to Quarantine a Political Virus: Stopping the Sedition Caucus by Improving Democracy

[blog.ucsusa.org]

"A more representative government will feature a diverse set of parties that aren’t stuck in zero-sum opposition, opening new paths for progress on issues. There are several ways to facilitate more parties competing for votes. ..."

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Fighting Corruption, Promoting Evidence

Reforms to Strengthen Democracy for the Public Good

[ucsusa.org]

• Eliminate barriers to voter registration by implementing automatic voter registration, same-day registration, and pre-registration requirements for 16- and 17-year-olds.

• Protect voter lists from manipulation by prohibiting states from purging voters based on failure to vote or minor inconsistencies in spelling or punctuation between registration lists and IDs.

• Expand early and provisional voting to ensure that all voters have access to the ballot regardless of limited time or transportation resources or lack of identification.

• Rein in gerrymandering and partisan bias by requiring nonpartisan redistricting commissions and encouraging proportional representation, which leads to more representative outcomes.

• Limit the political power of moneyed interests by requiring disclosure of corporate political contributions, strengthening the currently dysfunctional Federal Elections Commission, and implementing public campaign financing.

• Address officials' conflicts of interest through stronger ethics rules and disclosure requirements.