Angry rhetoric, narrow partisanship, and leaders who appeal only to their base are all reasons why American politics is in urgent need of reform.
By huge majorities, the public has a negative view of Congress and believes the system is broken.
Our guest, 29-year-old Nick Troiano, Executive Director of Unite America, is a leading voice of the reform movement, who supports changes aimed at reducing gridlock, boosting voter participation, and finding common ground. "We are caught in a democracy that is spiraling in a very negative direction and the question before us is how do we break that," Nick tells us.
Among his solutions:
End gerrymandering. Independent commissions, not partisan legislators, would decide the shape Congressional districts.
Ranked-choice voting. Instead of choosing just one candidate, voters would have the option of ranking candidates according to their preference.
Reform primary rules, and allow independents to vote in party primaries.
Campaign finance reform. Allow small donors to have more influence at the expense shadowy "dark money" special interest groups.
Encourage support for The Problem Solvers Caucus and other bipartisan coalitions in Congress and state legislatures.
Voting reform. Expand polling hours, and legalize early and at-home voting.