Election Reforms

Background

Better Ballot NC (BBNC) supports election reforms that are likely to produce a more representative, responsive, and accountable government at all levels of the system. As a 501c3 nonpartisan nonprofit, BBNC takes action via voter education and public policy advocacy campaigns to increase civic engagement and broader voting participation.

Along with our national partners, FairVote and Rank the Vote, BBNC is focused on:

Ranked choice voting (RCV) allows voters to rank their top choice, plus backups. When there is no first-place majority, these backups are counted in an “instant run-off.” Besides saving the expense of run-offs, RCV ensures winners have broader support. This, in turn, can give voters more choices while reducing negative campaigning and polarized governing.
Proportional representation (PR) sets up districts with multiple representatives who are selected through the ranked choice voting process. This allows for better representation of multiple voices within the district rather than relying on one office holder to represent all voters regardless of their positions or party affiliation.

BBNC works in tandem with allies who lead various other election reform efforts, as described below.

Proportional Representation / Fair Maps

A large majority (84%) of North Carolinians oppose partisan gerrymandering and further support bipartisan reform measures. Currently with gerrymandering, politicians are creating safe districts that will assure their re-election rather than allowing voters to truly choose their representatives.

Reforms against gerrymandering include nonpartisan independent redistricting commissions (IRC) and proportional representation. Common Cause has taken a leadership role in the advocacy for fair maps in North Carolina. Our allies at Carolina Forward make the case for independent redistricting and discuss three key reforms–including proportional representation and campaign financing–in their 2024 Our Indivisible Destiny report.

While BBNC agrees that fair maps produce a more representative government and support the formation of an IRC in our state, we agree with FairVote that proportional RCV (P-RCV) is an even stronger, more sustainable solution.

At the national level, BBNC supports the Fair Representation Act, which would establish P-RCV as the method for electing the U.S. House of Representatives.

Open (Nonpartisan) Primaries

Nearly 80% of voters do not participate in primaries. This is a major problem in highly gerrymandered districts because the majority party primary winner will most likely win the general election. This means that a small percentage of voters will choose an official to represent all voters in the district.

Open primaries give all voters the choice of which candidates proceed to the general election. This forces candidates to take stands on issues that will appeal to voters beyond a narrow base. It elects candidates with a broader source of support. If ranked choice voting is added to the process, the winner will have a majority of voter support, not just the largest number of votes.

Open Primaries advocates nationally for nonpartisan primaries open to all voters, instead of closed primaries that require political party affiliation to vote.

National Popular Vote

The idea of one person, one vote is a cornerstone of representative democracy. However, this principle doesn’t apply to the election of the most powerful elected official in the U.S.: the President. The Electoral College supersedes the popular vote by concentrating power in the hands of states and awarding a state’s electoral votes in an all-or-nothing race. In fact, five of 47 presidents lost the most popular votes but won with electoral votes. This has led us to the point where politicians campaign in and appeal to those relatively few states with a large number of electors and swing votes because they know in advance the number of “safe” states that lean toward their party. Thus, BBNC supports reforms that would ensure that whoever is elected President has earned the support of a majority of Americans, as reflected in the national popular vote (NPV).

BBNC rejects the notion that less-populated states should have more power when choosing the person who is elected to govern on behalf of all Americans. We believe in competitive elections and that candidates would have a reason to campaign in all 50 states if they knew that they needed to earn a majority of votes instead of a majority of electoral college votes. Therefore, BBNC endorses the work of the League of Women Voters NC (LWVNC) and other allies on the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC).

Money in Politics

Dark money hit a new high of $1.9 billion in the 2024 federal election cycle.

Campaign spending has become a pernicious problem in U.S. elections, giving an outsized voice to wealthy donors who cash in on their investments with privileged access to the politicians that they fund. In addition, political advertisers often use these large donations and money from political action committees (PACs) to flood local and national media with attack ads that increase polarization. All Americans pay the price for a political system dominated by big money, but the consequences in swing states like NC are even higher as money floods into the state from national donations to attack the PACs’ opponents.

Our allies at Democracy NC focus on this issue.

Citizen Initiative Ballot Measures

In the November 2024 elections, citizens across the country voted on 46 state ballot measures to adopt new laws or state constitutional amendments that their state legislatures refused to pass. North Carolinians do not currently have that right.

The League of Women Voters of North Carolina (LWVNC) has adopted a position focused on the right of NC citizens to directly petition for changes to state laws or to our NC Constitution by way of ballot measures. This activity is referred to as a Citizen Initiative (CI) or Citizen-led Ballot Measure. Voters collect signatures and put a law or constitutional amendment directly on the ballot. This offers a route to reforms when the legislature will not act. Twenty-four states, Washington, DC, and the U.S. Virgin Islands currently have citizen initiative options in place. BBNC endorses the LWVNC position to bring citizen initiative to North Carolina.