City Campaign Finance System Charts Path—and Highlights Challenges—for State Reform

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.

Ninety percent of Americans believe that the political system is broken and nothing can be done. Yet in 2016, South Dakota a state with low probability for political reform became the first state in a decade to adopt public funding of future political campaigns all thanks to a grass-roots citizens movement.

In 2016, the US had a historically large populist backlash against the political establishment. This inspired Hedric Smith to highlight where and how political reform in the US has succeeded or failed in an Orcas Current Lecture Series.

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.