How Open Primaries and Ranked-Choice Voting Can Help Break Partisan Gridlock
Ask students: Who is Mary Peltola? How is Alaska's primary system unique? When did Alaska's new primary system go into effect?
How the parties select their candidates is a major factor in the increasing partisanship we've seen in recent years. Recently, Alaska has been trying something different. It's already showing results but facing some resistance. Judy Woodruff traveled there for her ongoing series about divisions in the country, America at a Crossroads.
View the transcript of the story.
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- What state is featured in the video?
- Who is Mary Peltola?
- How is Alaska's primary system unique?
- When did Alaska's new primary system go into effect?
- Why does Nick Troiano say that "8 percent of voters [are] electing 83 percent of our leaders"?
Focus Questions
In the video, some argue that open primaries help bring more voters into the electoral process and moderate partisan politics. However, von Spakovsky says that only the members of the Democratic and Republican parties should have a say in their respective representatives. Who do you find more convincing? Do you think open primaries are a good reform to the electoral system?
Media literacy: The NewsHour video starts with an interview with David Nicolai, who talked about how his family experienced Peltola's historic election to Congress. How do personal stories such as Nicolai's impact your thoughts on the electoral reforms, if at all?
Extension Activity
Take a look at this explainer to learn more about ranked-choice voting.
- Do you think our current electoral system needs reform? What do you think are the advantages and challenges of ranked-choice voting?
- What resources could you use to learn more about research and campaigns about electoral reforms? For example, check out fairvote.org.
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Classroom.
PBS NewsHour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. The site combines the best of NewsHour's reliable, trustworthy news program with lesson plans developed specifically for... See More
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