Beyond the US midterms: The Swiss answer to congressional gridlock

B. Godihal is one of the thousands of communities in Karnataka that have worked to hold clean elections, stirred by a confluence of awareness campaigns by nongovernmental organizations and rising public frustration with candidates’ broken promises.

In Iowa, the “redistricting” of the state’s legislative and congressional boundaries is done by mapmakers who abide by nonpartisan metrics that all sides agree are fair — a seemingly revolutionary concept in the high-stakes decennial rite of redistricting.

The Center for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies provides a "blueprint" for peaceful and democratic revolution, busting myths about the process of nonviolent revolt and helping dissidents in countries around the world to accomplish political goals, such as fighting corruption or protecting the environment.

Low voter turnouts, populists offering half-truths, corporate interests, and the blurring of facts in the media are signs that democracy around the world is in turmoil. Internationally, citizens have assembled different programs and initiatives that arm ordinary people with information about policy and their elected officials, as well as distinctive ways to reform the electoral system.

Low voter turnout has affected the results of numerous elections across the country. Oregon gave its residents the choice to opt in instead of out when receiving government services, in the hopes of increasing voter turnout.

Women are underrepresented in elected positions, and with Trump being elected after being heard describing women in poor taste, this has only become more of a concern. Programs such as Elect Her and IGNITE are trying to help increase the number of women in politics through various methods.

In Conservative voting bastions of Florida, renewable energy turns out to be a bipartisan issue, supported even by the most Republican areas. The success of renewable energy was possible by listening to Floridians needs, avoiding partisan rhetoric, identifying a common problem, and relying on grassroots organizing.

In Kenya, men have been overrepresented in government positions, sparking new legislation that women should occupy at least one-third of the public elected body. Men have become increasingly involved in helping women get elected by helping them campaign, protecting their safety, overseeing election procedures etc.

Making sure that voting systems are fair and accurate has become a major concern in the wake of rigging allegations in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Homomorphic encryption, now beginning to be used in the financial and healthcare industries, can anonymize voter data while creating a publicly available record that anyone can use to verify election results. The idea is being piloted in Travis County, Texas, the latest move in a push for more trustworthy voting systems.

Starting in the mid 1980s and 1990s, African and Latin American countries began to implement “gender quotas” to integrate more women in politics. Now, “12 of the top 20 countries in the world for women’s legislative representation are in Africa and Latin America.”