Three California state political parties have released a joint statement supporting the ProRep Coaition and the adoption of proportional representation in the Golden State. The recent co-endorsement comes from the Green, Libertarian, and Peace & Freedom parties of California.
A statement of support from the three parties was published on Wednesday by the ProRep Coalition, a California nonprofit organized early last year to advocate for a shift away from single-member, plurality-elected districts in favor of a proportional representation system. The coalition currently consists of five political parties, including the non-ballot-qualified American Solidarity and California National parties, and several nonprofit organizations and advocacy groups.
“California’s electoral system isn’t working for most people. Despite our state’s sheer size and significant diversity, our winner-take-all elections have flattened our politics in a way that limits political representation for nearly everyone—including members of the two major parties,” the statement reads. “While Republicans in the state are locked out of governing in Sacramento, Democratic voters face a lack of choice that stifles real accountability. Those outside the major parties—and those who might like to be—are left with even less recourse.”
As per the statement, the current top-two system has left Californians “apathetic and uninspired” with state politics, leading to more voters looking for alternatives. Additionally, it underscores that the combined membership of the three alternative parties has grown to 475,000 registered voters—a figure that the organization states has increased by nearly 200,000 individuals since 2012.
Moreover, the statement outlines specific reasons why each party is partnering with the coalition, with each party’s stance reflecting why a proportional system would benefit Californians. For state Greens, proportional representation would diversify the legislature while reducing gerrymandering, whereas state Libertarians view the system as a counter to one-party dominance, believing it will restore balance and competition in California politics. Meanwhile, the Peace and Freedom Party stressed the importance of representing diverse constituencies through proportional representation and how multi-member districts would more accurately reflect the state’s population.
In an email to Independent Political Report, the ProRep Coalition also disclosed that all three parties had endorsed the organization’s recently released vision statement, further elaborating on how California would benefit from a multiparty democracy. The mission statement, released last January, describes how a two-party system came to affect the United States and how that system further evolved into single-party dominance in California. It explores the impacts on both California’s parties and voters, and proposes strategies to effectively transition to a proportional representation system.
The endorsement letter by the California Green, Libertarian, and Peace & Freedom parties comes two weeks before California’s 2024 primary election, where the three parties are fielding presidential candidates on the state ballot, among a number of other state and local candidates. Readers can access the full statement on the ProRep Coalition website.
The only proportional representation to care about for Libertarians is a simple MMP where if the LP gets a minimum of votes (5% recommended) you get 1 ‘bonus at-large legislator (of a total of 20). If 3% then 1 2 of 30 with 30 possible extra seats. For more see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed-member_proportional_representation