The Libertarian Party of California is the latest emerging party organization to join a statewide coalition pushing to see the Golden State embrace a series of significant voting reforms. More specifically, the coalition seeks to adopt proportional representation in the California State Legislature.
In a press release on Thursday afternoon, the Libertarian Party of California announced that it will formally join the ProRep Coalition, a nonprofit group comprising various parties and civic organizations committed to establishing multi-party democracy in California. The coalition itself was initially formed late last year.
“The Libertarian Party of California is pleased to join a coalition aimed at bringing multi-party democracy to the Golden State,” the release quotes Libertarian Party of California Chair Adrian Malagon as saying, “One-party supermajority rule in Sacramento has visibly failed our state, as political debate and open competition wither. A broader, truly inclusive spectrum of opinion in the legislature will help restore sanity to our politics and reclaim the California dream.”
The ProRep Coalition was born from a desire to move away from single-member, plurality-elected districts in favor of a more proportional representation system. To that end, supporters within the ProRep Coalition are championing a comprehensive reform package for California’s electoral system. These proposed changes seek to establish a multi-party democracy by drawing inspiration from successful models seen in other countries. Advocates believe this shift would broaden overall voter choices, drive greater civic engagement, and curb the influence of special interests.
Independent Political Report has discussed at length the complete mission of the ProRep Coalition and the reforms it seeks to see enacted in an earlier article that readers can access here.
The endorsement from state Libertarians has expanded the coalition’s support base to include a total of five party organizations. These include the Peace & Freedom Party, the Green Party of California, and two organizations, the American Solidarity Party and the California National Party, which are currently working toward achieving statewide ballot access. According to the ProRep Coalition, the endorsement of California’s Libertarian, Peace & Freedom, and Green Parties collectively accounts for “nearly 460,000” total registered California voters.
Although not an official coalition member, the California affiliate of the Forward Party also voiced its support for the coalition’s mission in early July. During that time, they emphasized the critical need for a multi-party democracy with proportional representation, warning that without it, “Democracy will die and we will lose our freedoms.”
Caledon Myers, President of ProRep Coalition, additionally emphasized in Thursday’s announcement that the capacity of emerging parties to come together on this issue serves as a prominent example of something that the Democratic and Republican Parties in California have been unable to achieve, ultimately to the detriment of state voters: cooperation.
“We’re living in a political era of zero-sum debates, toxic divisiveness, and partisan demonization,” Myers stated, “The Democratic and Republican parties refuse to cooperate with one another and struggling Californians continue to fall by the wayside.”
“With the Libertarian Party of CA joining the campaign for proportional representation in California, they and the other parties in our coalition are not only proving to voters that partisan cooperation is possible, but that there’s a better way to do politics in California.”
Cool.
Good luck to this coalition trying to make it to referendum.