The Purple Principle

Oct 23 2024 98 ep. 155

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Nonpartisan podcast for independent-minded Americans exploring the perils of partisanship in U.S. politics, society and daily life.

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Reform Milestones with FairVote’s Rob Richie: Ranked Choice Voting’s First Three Decades

Oct 23 2024 32 mins

“It’s a thrilling year. It’s a tense year. I am a believer that this is a marathon,” says Rob Richie, Co-Founder and longtime Director of FairVote, the nation’s foremost catalyst for ranked choice voting elections. “There's moments of excitement– of cresting hills, of victories and sometimes defeats.” In this Purple Principle episode, Richie recounts the highs and

Frontiers of Election Reform (Part 2): Will Alaskans Preserve Top Four Voting?

Oct 09 2024 37 mins

In 2020, Alaskans passed a first-in-the-nation voting system which helped energize similar reform efforts around the country. In 2024, Alaska voters are now presented with a ballot measure to repeal this same Final or “Top Four” system that includes a unified open primary of all candidates plus a ranked choice general election. Meanwhile, voters in Nevada, Idaho, Colorado and o

Frontiers of Election Reform: 5 Views on the Alaska Legislature (Part One)

Sep 25 2024 45 mins

“The notion of getting rid of a closed primary system in Alaska appealed to me instantly,” says former Alaska House Speaker Bryce Edgmon who has represented Bristol Bay and parts of the Aleutian Islands for nearly two decades. “It overrode right there almost on the spot any trepidation I might have about having to rank candidates or anything else that would eventually become

When Legislatures Act Before Citizens Vote: Colorado's Top Four Election Reform

Sep 11 2024 29 mins

Election reform is officially on the ballot for voter approval in Colorado this year. This “Top Four” voting system is similar to the Alaska model of a unified open primary plus ranked choice general election. But there is a catch to this Colorado ballot measure, and it came via the state legislature in the final moments of the 2024 session. “Well, the last couple of days o

New Oregon Trail for Ranked Choice Voting? From Farmer’s Market to Legislature & Citizen Ballot

Aug 28 2024 35 mins

“I've sat in rooms where we as Democrats have high-fived when a Libertarian party candidate gets into a competitive race,” recalls former Oregon House Speaker Dan Rayfield. “That's not democracy.” “And Republicans high five when a Green Party candidate gets into the race,” says Rayfield, currently running for Attorney General in Oregon. “That's not democracy.” Dan

Three Election Reformers Approach the Finish Line: Will Nevada Adopt the Alaska Model?

Aug 14 2024 38 mins

In 2024, Nevada voters will see a ballot Question 3 strikingly similar to the question on Final Five voting that passed by 6 points back in 2022. That’s because a constitutional amendment must be passed by voters twice in succession, according to Nevada law. And should voters approve Question 3 again this year, Nevada will become the second state (after Alaska) to implement thi

How About Treating All Voters & Candidates the Same! Paul Johnson & Chuck Coughlin of Make Elections Fair AZ

Jul 31 2024 43 mins

“Everybody likes to think about these reforms as being revolutionary,” says Paul Johnson, former Mayor of Phoenix, now Co-Chair of Make Elections Fair AZ, on the record number of state level election reforms in play this year. “They’re not. City governments have been doing these reforms for about 50 to 60 years.” Johnson, a former Democrat turned Independent, is leading

Opening Primaries on the Great Plains: Are Stars Aligned for South Dakota Reform?

Jul 17 2024 28 mins

“I like to say the stars are aligned for open primaries right now,” says South Dakota Open Primaries Director Joe Kirby. “I think there’s a realization that closed primaries simply don’t make sense when you’re in a single party state.” “I also think that Open Primaries will foster a more representative and functional government,” adds De Knudson, former Sioux Fal

The Alaska Election Frontier: Our July 4th Trek Across Three Episodes

Jul 03 2024 24 mins

In this bonus episode we revisit the vast nation-sized state of Alaska, model for election reform in numerous states around the country even as that voting system of an open, unified primary plus instant runoff general election faces a potential 2024 recall ballot measure back in the frontier state. The Purple Principle has made three previous audio visits to Alaska, arguably our

Making All Votes Count in DC: Proposer Lisa Rice & the Yes on 83 Team

Jun 26 2024 42 mins

It was nearing summer temperatures on this early June primary voting day outside a polling station in Washington, DC. Lisa Rice, official Proposer of Initiative 83, is wearing a sandwich board with the message, “Ask Me Why I Can’t Vote Today?” “Why can’t you vote today?” asks a woman on her way to vote. “Because I’m an independent,” Lisa replies. “ I'm not affil