-Caveat Lector-
Date:
Wed, 24 Mar 1999 03:32:21 -0800 (PST)
From:
"Cynthia A. McKinney" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[Moderator: Taken directly from the web site]
http://www.eden.com/~reporter/4.96.McKinney.html
April 1996
ESSAY: A democracy voters can be proud of
by U.S. Rep. Cynthia A. McKinney
One positive development to come out of the Supreme Court's narrow 5 to 4
decision striking down my majority-black district, is the broader
discussion it has sparked regarding the way we elect members of Congress
in general.
Low voter turnout, distrust of elected officials, the term-limits
movement, and the increasing desire for a third party are all strong
indications that Americans are no longer satisfied with our representative
democracy as practiced through the winnertakes-all assumption.
As majority-minority districts across America are targeted for
dismantling, many are discovering that oddly shaped super-majority white
districts are quite common as well, yet remain unchallenged. This apparent
double standard is an indication that the entire method by which we draw
congressional districts is flawed.
It is important to remember that majority-minority districts exist only
because our winner-takes-all assumption makes it inherently more difficult
for African Americans to have representation, due to racial block
voting-particularly in the South. Four hundred years of slavery,
segregation and discrimination have, without a doubt, created a set of
circumstances and interests unique to African Americans. Such interests
can rarely be reflected in public policy as long as simple majorities are
required to control state power. If we remain wedded to a system which
does not employ proportional voting, majority-minority districts will
continue to be necessary in order for African-Americans to have a stake in
our polity.
Out of all the democracies in the world, only four--including the United
States--still rely on the winner-takes-all method of electing public
officials. The rest of the world's democracies have discovered that giving
100% of the state's power to the candidate who can secure 50% of the vote
plus one, is not equitable.
In its present form, our winner-takes-all assumption -- manifested through
a system of single-member districts -- limits voter choice. More often
than not, Americans find themselves going to the polls to vote against
someone rather than for a particular candidate.
Our current method of electing political leaders lumps a wide range of
issues into one platform, forcing voters to cast their only vote in favor
of someone who they nominally support on a few issues. I am sponsoring
legislation which repeals the 1967 federal statute requiring states to
draw single-member congressional districts. This law was intended to
prevent the use of at-large districts, which were routinely employed in
the South to dilute black voting strength. However, multi-member districts
used in conjunction with cumulative voting, preference voting or limited
voting, not only preserve the voting strength of racial and political
minorities, but increase choices for voters.
Under these three voting methods, voters would have several votes to cast.
Moreover, they would be electing more than one officeholder to represent
them in the U.S. House of Representatives (unlike the current system
whereby citizens have only one representative in the lower chamber). If,
for example, you liked one candidate's position on taxes and another
candidate's position on abortion, you could vote for both and conceivably
see both elected. By the same token, you would have the choice of casting
all your votes for one candidate-the choice is yours. Such a system would
necessarily encourage independent candidates to run, since winning would
become more feasible. There is nothing in the constitution which requires
us to continue with a winner-takes-all assumption, practiced through
single-member districts. In fact, some of these alternative voting methods
are currently used in a number of municipalities and counties across the
United States.
Cynicism in our political system is at an all-time high while voter
turnouts are at record lows. Campaign finance reform and lobby reform are
steps in the right direction, yet only solve part of the problem.
Americans are a diverse people with diverse interests - how is it that
most of us only have two choices on election day?
After the next census, states across the nation will grapple with the
Voting Rights Act, and how best to maintain the integrity of black voting
strength in the context of the Supreme Court's redistricting decision.
However, trimming majority-minority districts will not cure the underlying
problem which made these districts necessary in the first place. Such
maneuvering will only serve to reinforce suspicions that the shape of some
majority-minority districts is being used as a pretext to remove
African-American legislators from Congress.
Cynthia McKinney represents Georgia's 11th District, which was ordered
redrawn by the Supreme Court. She is sponsoring HR 2545, the Voter's
Choice Act, to allow proportional voting in Congressional elections.
Copyright � 1995-1996 The Progressive Populist
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