030— Introducing a Proportional Representation System of Voting in the U.S.

The current voting system in the United States exhibits numerous flaws that weaken American democracy. Presently, the U.S. operates a winner-take-all voting system through single-member districts. Consequently, those who did not cast their vote for the winner are effectively not represented in American government. This problem is felt mostly by minorities and introduces a lack of trust into the voting system, increases political hostility, and expands the influence of gerrymandering. Through a poster presentation, I propose that these issues could be vastly improved by instituting a proportional representation ranked-choice voting system in the United States. This method of voting allows citizens to rank their vote choices on their ballots and distributes legislative seats proportionally to the percentage of votes a political party receives. The introduction of this system into the United States would allow for a more accurate representation of the American electorate. Subsequently, a higher trust in the voting system would emerge, voter turnout would increase, the effect of gerrymandering would decrease, and minorities and women would be more often elected. In addition, more political parties would be created and polarization would decline.