We need to start somewhere.
As Americans become increasingly dissatisfied with Congress and as polarization erodes our system of government, we must consider ways to find common ground. That is the thinking behind the Electoral Reform Select Committee Act (H.R. 1573), introduced by Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania.
“I think an increasing number of the American population is viewing Congress as more partisan, more dysfunctional, less productive, and they have less confidence in the body,” Perez told The Seattle Times. “I think 90 percent of us agree on 90 percent of the issues, and yet we see a legislative policy that does not match our shared interests.”
The impetus for the legislation is spelled out in the first whereas statement: “Whereas approval of Congress is unacceptably low, and this disapproval is in part caused by the structure of Congress and how it is elected …”
In a Gallup poll last month, 19 percent of Americans said they “approve of the way Congress is handling its job.” That is consistent with results of the monthly poll over the past decade, and it reflects deep dissatisfaction.
Of course, expressing frustration with elected officials is considered an American birthright. Since Gallup started asking the question in 1974, the approval rating for Congress has rarely approached 50 percent. But a lingering lack of trust in government has a cumulative negative impact.
Jake Grumbach, a professor of public policy at the University of California Berkeley, told The Seattle Times: “A huge amount of research suggests that U.S. political institutions have become less functional in the age of nationalized politics and polarization. Voter and media attention, political fundraising, as well as activist and party activity, have all transformed over the last generation, but U.S. political institutions remain built for an age of localized and regional politics in which partisanship doesn’t matter as much.”
The Electoral Reform Select Committee Act would create a panel of lawmakers to look for alternatives to how representatives are elected. Possible ideas include nonpartisan redistricting committees, open primaries and ranked choice voting.
In Washington, congressional and legislative districts are drawn by a bipartisan committee, while most states leave the task to the Legislature, which is inherently partisan. Our state also has a top-two primary in which voters may support candidates from either party and the top vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party.
This approach appears to support centrist candidates and reduce polarization. On the other hand, Washington elections have increasingly resulted in essentially one-party rule by Democrats.
In introducing the Electoral Reform Select Committee Act, Perez said: “This bipartisan select committee will look at the role our electoral system plays in exacerbating the hyper-partisanship, cynicism and obstruction that has taken over today’s politics. It’s past time for Congress to set aside the conflict and chaos of clickbait politics and get back to work governing on behalf of the American people.”
That might be a difficult task. A survey by Pew Research Center last year found that “when asked to describe politics in the United States these days in a single word or phrase, an overwhelming majority of Americans (79 percent) express a negative sentiment. Just 2 percent offer a positive word or phrase, while 10 percent say something neutral.”
But we need to start somewhere.
