How to Make Legislatures Less Partisan

Here's a summary of a report published by the Public Policy Institute of California titled "Redistricting Reform: Can It Reduce Partisanship?" Interestingly, they found that there was no difference in the partisanship of votes by legislators serving in California before and after redistricting reform.  I still support redistricting reform for other reasons, but it seems that redistricting reform alone may not be able to reduce partisanship.


They suggest better ways to get bipartisan legislators elected:

1) Hold open primaries

2) Pass campaign finance reform

3) Mobilize moderates

The report also gave some reasons for the demise of bipartisanship in our government.  The obvious one being that people who vote tend to have stronger views on politics and elect more partisan representatives.  Also, candidates who appeal to passionate, single-issue activists are more likely to be able to raise the money and volunteer support needed to win a campaign.  Interest groups put more pressure on candidates than they have in the past.  And people who run for office may have more partisan views to begin with, while moderates may be less likely to view political service as a noble pursuit.

Take home message:  If you're a moderate, even if you don't like the candidates available: vote!  Get involved in politics at a local level and go to your caucuses where you can have more of an influence.  Support campaign finance reform and getting special interest money out of politics.  And join with other moderates to let politicians know you're out there and you're paying attention.