The solution to hyper-partisanship already exists, and it doesn’t involve gerrymandering

[Pryderi]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2013/10/18/the-solution-to-hyper-partisanship-already-exists-and-it-doesnt-involve-gerrymandering/

The latest game of political chicken that drove Washington to a government shutdown and the very edge of the debt ceiling gave new life to the omnipresent complaint of elder statesmen and centrist wise guys: If only Congressional districts weren’t so gerrymandered in the decennial redistricting process, moderation and across-the-aisle deal-making wouldn’t be so rare.

But there’s another solution to the partisan extremism that seems to dominate Congress today, one that’s already in practice in two states: A top-two primary system, one that incentivizes candidates in even the most conservative or liberal districts to appeal to the vast middle that otherwise plays a limited role in picking members of Congress.

In California and Washington state, that top-two system is already in effect. And in both states, the hard right and the hard left have seen their influence wane.

The problem, as reformers see it: Partisan gerrymandering has led to Congressional districts in which one party is so dominant that whichever candidate they nominate will win in November. About three-quarters of all districts, according to some estimates, are so overwhelmingly Republican or Democratic that the other party doesn’t have the slightest hope. So candidates from the dominant party have an incentive to align themselves with the partisan base that will turn out in a primary. Only hard-core partisans vote in a primary, meaning those candidates are playing to the extremes of either party — Republicans try to be the most conservative candidate in the field in deep-red districts, while Democrats try to be the most liberal candidate in sky-blue districts. The districts are drawn in such a way that there aren’t enough independents and voters of the minority party to punish extremism on either side.

[DetlefK]

1. Getting rid of the binary choice with minimum effort. Good idea.

[cali]

2. hard left? what hard left exists within elected dems?

more false dog shit equivalency.

[Pryderi]

3. True, but it would defuse the hard right. n/t

[Bandit]

4. The best solution is "Vote By Mail"

If everyone had a ballot delivered to their home and they could fill it out at their kitchen table and not worry about taking time off to vote or trying to find a parking spot or trying to avoid that person you just don't want to run into.. Turn out would pick up drastically. Just look to Oregon. Gerrymandering hasn't done them much good at all.