How to Save the World

What’s the Headline?

We have a lot of issues to tackle in this country. The Climate Crisis, a broken Healthcare system, racial injustice, the list goes on.

Our entrenched two party system makes progress impossible. All they do is keep us angry at each other.

To break through the power of self-interested, corrupt politicians, we need to upgrade our voting system beyond “lesser of two evils”.

Our Voting Problem

  • STAR Voting in under five minutes: Equal Vote Coalition

  • Ranked Choice Voting vs The Establishment - RepresentUs

  • The Problems with First Past the Post Voting Explained: CGP Grey

The Lever

If you’re like me, you are passionate about making a difference in the world, but don’t know where to start. The problems seem so big, all your efforts feel like throwing water balloons at a volcano.

I spent a long time looking for how to get the best return on investment for my energies, and THIS is it. In 2021, the government spent $6, 000, 000, 000, 000. Imagine if, through your efforts, you could direct just 1% of that (60 BILLion dollars) towards a cause that you care about!

This is the power, the potential, of politics that has been squandered for decades. But by passing STAR voting we can break the Republican and Democrat’s chokehold, unleash that power (the power of all of us working together!), and save the world.

That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy, but this is the biggest lever I could find.

Take Action!

  • Join our community to pass STAR voting
  • Raise awareness about STAR voting, Proportional Representation, etc
    • Sometimes I grow weary; none of these memes I’m posting on Facebook seem to bear fruit. But change is slow, and every post, letter, conversation, is water for a seed.
    • An easy start is to share a post from the STAR voting Facebook page, or one of the videos posted above.
  • Help keep track of which politicians support Voting 2.0.
    • Especially if there is an upcoming election at the City / State level, even asking if they support this puts it on their radar, and if you ask publicly you are raising awareness at the same time!
    • California Governor Recall
  • Research how better voting methods were passed in New York City, San Francisco, etc. Share that knowledge with us!
  • Help improve this site!
  • Thank an activist.
    • Don’t see a better way to contribute right now? Reach out to someone you see pushing humanity forward and just thank them for their efforts! Small words of encouragement can go a long way.

Get Involved

You are not alone! Here are the organizations working to reform our voting system and bring the power to the people! Join us!

  • https://www.equal.vote/ (Star Voting)
    • The Equal Vote Coalition's mission is to promote true equality in the vote itself. Our current voting method is inherently unequal, and this inequality has decidedly negative consequences: outsized influence of money in politics, hyper-partisan rancor, and widespread electoral disenchantment.
  • https://electionscience.org/
    • Founded in 2011, The Center for Election Science is a national, nonpartisan nonprofit focused on voting reform. With an emphasis on approval voting, we bring better elections to people across the country through both advocacy and research.
  • https://www.fairvote.org/
    • FairVote is a nonpartisan organization seeking better elections for all. We research and advance voting reforms that make democracy more functional and representative for every American.
  • https://represent.us/
    • We bring conservatives and progressives together to pass anti-corruption laws across America. Join us.
  • https://www.commoncause.org
    • We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.

Communities

Less organized communities or forums to discuss fixing our democracy.

Resources

Some of these are still wishlist resources. You can make an impact TODAY by helping to find some of these tools. (or if you’ve got the chops, help build them!)

  • TODO: Quickly lookup all your representatives (from city up to national). Sign up for reminders when there will be elections so you can get involved
  • TODO: Map of all places where STAR voting is already implemented, or under consideration

Third Parties

Every serious third party should have STAR Voting (or Ranked Choice, Approval) as their first priority. Without it they will continue to have zero impact. What could these parties do if they all worked together?

  • Democratic Socialists of America - https://www.dsausa.org/
    • The Democratic Socialists of America is the largest socialist organization in the United States, with over 92,000 members and chapters in all 50 states. We believe that working people should run both the economy and society democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few.
    • Says “We are a political and activist organization, not a party”, so may need to find proper place for them in this doc…
  • Green Party - https://www.gp.org/
    • We are grassroots activists, environmentalists, advocates for social justice, nonviolent resisters and regular citizens who’ve had enough of corporate-dominated politics. Government must be part of the solution, but when it’s controlled by the 1%, it’s part of the problem. The longer we wait for change, the harder it gets. Don’t stay home on election day. Vote Green!
  • Libertarian Party - https://www.lp.org/ (Libertarian Party)
    • Libertarians strongly oppose any government interference into their personal, family, and business decisions. Essentially, we believe all Americans should be free to live their lives and pursue their interests as they see fit as long as they do no harm to another. Founded in 1971, we run many hundreds of candidates every election cycle. These candidates seek positions ranging from City Council to President of the United States. Each of these candidates helps to give liberty a voice.
  • Peopl’s Party - https://peoplesparty.org
    • The goal of a people’s party is to represent the interests of the wide majority of us and create a system to sustainably maximize well-being for ALL.
    • Effectively they are trying to be a 3rd party

Alternative Groups

If reforming our voting system doesn’t resonate with you, here are some other groups working to make a difference in other ways.

  • https://voteathome.org/
    • The National Vote at Home Institute (NVAHI) is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to making sure every eligible American can vote by improving & expanding vote at home options in all 50 states:
  • https://verifiedvoting.org/about/
    • Verified Voting - Verified Voting’s mission is to strengthen democracy for all voters by promoting the responsible use of technology in elections. It is a non-partisan organization focused exclusively on the critical role technology plays in election administration.
  • https://civilrights.org/value/voting-rights/
    • Leadership Conference on Civil Rights - The Leadership Conference worked to get Congress to pass legislation that would protect the civil and human rights of all people in America. They also speak of Voting rights . Voting Fighting for the democracy we all deserve by securing the right to vote and dismantling barriers to the ballot box
  • https://www.democratic-erosion.com/
    • Democratic Erosion is a multi-university consortium that helps students and faculty evaluate threats to democracy both at home and abroad through the lens of theory, history, and social science.
  • https://ballotpedia.org/
    • Ballotpedia is the digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections. Our goal is to inform people about politics by providing accurate and objective information about politics at all levels of government. We are firmly committed to neutrality in our content.
    • As a nonprofit, our mission is to educate. We're here for you when:
  • You're considering a run for office.
  • You're making decisions about how you'll vote in an election.
  • You need the latest political news and analysis from a reliable, nonpartisan source.
  • https://democracyjournal.org/about/
    • The mission of Democracy is to build a vibrant and vital progressivism for the twenty-first century that builds on the movement’s proud history, is true to its central values, and is relevant to present times.
    • Democracy will publish on a quarterly basis and serve as a place where ideas can be developed and important debates can be spurred.
  • https://aceproject.org
    • The ACE Electoral Knowledge Network is the world’s largest online community and repository of electoral knowledge. It provides comprehensive information and specialised advice on any aspect of electoral processes. The foremost aim of ACE, is to foster the integrity of elections and to promote credible, sustainable, professional and inclusive electoral processes throughout the globe.
    • Launched at the United Nations in 1998 by International IDEA, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), ACE was initially created as the Administration and Cost of Elections project. It was the world’s first online resource of its kind in the field of elections.
  • https://thefulcrum.us
    • News. Debate. Community. Levers for a better democracy. The Fulcrum is a platform where insiders and outsiders to politics are informed, meet, talk, and act to repair our democracy and make it live and work in our everyday lives.

Misc

  • https://actionnetwork.org
    • Action Network is an open platform that empowers individuals and groups to organize for progressive causes. We encourage responsible activism, and do not support using the platform to take unlawful or other improper action. We do not control or endorse the conduct of users and make no representations of any kind about them.