NOTE: The following diary is adapted from a series of articles that were posted last week on my blog. Links to these articles are provided at the end of this diary.
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Recently, I discussed the need for two fundamental electoral reforms that I believe are needed in order to lay the groundwork for a more open and truly representative multi-party system: ballot access reform, to make it easier and fairer for minor parties and independent candidates to both get on the ballot and stay on the ballot in successive elections; and electoral fusion, to make it easier for voters who have grown accustomed to having to choose between two monolithic parties to transition over to a multiparty system by giving them the option of supporting minor parties that cross-endorse major-party candidates. While I believe that these two elements of reform are essential and should be given first priority for tactical reasons, I nonetheless acknowledge that they are only components within a broader reform program, and that by themselves they probably won’t be enough to bring about the change we need to open up American politics. Ultimately, we will also need to address basic deficiencies in the way that votes are cast and counted.