Nation Topics - Electoral Reform | The Nation

Instant Runoff Voting will get a crucial test in four local elections on
November 7.

Ion Sancho, an election supervisor in Florida, is dedicated to creating
a fair and accurate voting system. But his passion has nearly cost him
his job.

Elections are decided by message, money and mobilization. The Democrats' choice of tactics for the latter may determine not only the outcome of the '06 elections but the party's future.

Ohio is the bellwether for the nation's electoral health and the prognosis is bad. Error-ridden e-voting, draconian restrictions and widespread incompetence could cause another November breakdown.

Progressive organizations are learning to use ballot propositions to promote bold, innovative policy on the minimum wage, renewable energy, stem cell research and voting reform.

Voting debacles in Florida and Ohio have inspired a new crop of Democratic candidates to run for Secretary of State, transforming an oft-neglected post into a platform for activism.

It's time for conviction, not caution, as Democratic voters show they would support a party that promised the country a course correction--an exit from Iraq and an end to corruption and the ineptitude of the GOP.

For a long time on Capitol Hill, no one was interested in lobbying reform. Now everybody wants to get in on the act.

Democratic gubernatorial wins in Virginia and New Jersey gave the lie to
the GOP contention that "conservatism is on the march." But infighting
among Dems doomed electoral reform in Ohio, gay marriage is still
illegal in Texas and there's a long way to go to mid-year elections.

There's a way to cure Ohio's dysfunctional electoral system: an
election-reform referendum that allows creation of "swing districts."