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Expanding Representation: Reinventing Congress for the 21st Century

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American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Table of Contents

A Letter from the President of the American Academy

Executive Summary

Introduction

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Our Common Purpose
The Working Group
Overview of the Paper

I. Electoral Systems: The Basics

Winner-Take-All Versus Proportional Representation
Public Support for Reform
Policymaker Interviews

II. Key System Design Choices

District Magnitude
Assembly Size
Ballot Structure
Allocation Method

III. Implications of Reform

Representation
Polarization
Governance

Conclusion

Appendix: Members of the Electoral Design Working Group

American Academy of Arts and Sciences
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Democracy & Justice

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Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship

The bipartisan Commission issued Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century to both strengthen institutions and bolster civil society. Work is underway to advance initiatives rooted in that report that will help make the nation emerge as a more resilient democracy by 2026, the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Chairs
Danielle Allen, Stephen B. Heintz, and Eric P. Liu
Democracy & Justice

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