Center for Ballot Freedom

Wish You Had More Political Choice? The Answer Isn’t a Third-Party Candidate. If we change our voting rules, more parties can play a productive—not destructive—role in American politics.

Real representation requires real reform. @leedrutman.bsky.social argued in @slate.com that proportional representation is a good place to start. His case still holds up today, and here is why: slate.com/news-and-pol...

How can political institutions change? A new report looked at the history of ballot initiative adoption across the U.S.
One big takeaway: Reform is most likely when no party holds total control.

Can American Democracy Be Saved From Its Deepening Crisis? This Old Democracy · Episode

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1TMo...

Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLdz...

🗳️ Must-watch from @perrybaconjr.bsky.social: Our democracy is broken—but not beyond repair. More on how our system got broken and what reforms like fusion voting and proportional representation could do to fix it: centerforballotfreedom.substack.com/p/perry-baco...

Under fusion voting, all votes for the same candidate — no matter the party label — are added together.

So if Joe Smith gets 47% as a Democrat and 4% as a United Wisconsin candidate, he wins with 51%. More choice, same vote. 🗳️ #FusionVoting #MoreVoicesMoreChoices

From our new podcast: Without strong political parties, you don’t get consensus—you get chaos. No democracy has ever existed without parties. Hollow, broken parties = hollow, broken democracy. @leedrutman.bsky.social @newamerica.org @msifry.bsky.social #ThisOldDemocracy

This Old Democracy: A Project of the Center for Ballot Freedom This Old Democracy is a regular podcast that explores the ideas, movements, and people working to rescue our faltering political system — and rebuild American democracy on a stronger, more inclusive,…

Episode 2 with @leedrutman.bsky.social and @msifry.bsky.social launched on Monday, July 21st. Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube: centerforballotfreedom.org/this-old-dem...

🎙️ Tired of the two-party doom loop? Check out "This Old Democracy" — a podcast exploring how we can revive American democracy with more choices, more voices, and more accountability. #ThisOldDemocracy #MultipartyDemocracy

In Ripon, Wisconsin, anti-slavery parties united through fusion voting—backing each other’s candidates. The result? The collapse of the Whigs and the rise of the Republican Party, which reshaped American politics. #FusionVoting #HistoryMatters @lawfwd.bsky.social

Abolitionist #ThirdParties like the Liberty Party used #FusionVoting to amplify their opposition to slavery, forming alliances with groups like the Free Soil & Anti-Nebraska parties. By organizing citizens with shared values, they made anti-slavery politics more visible and influential in elections.

🚨 The fusion voting program will be live-streamed! 🚨

Fusion voting once expanded voter choice & cooperation—until the major parties shut it down. Now Wisconsin is reconsidering it.

🗓️ Wednesday, August 6th | 12:30pm CT
📺 Register to watch: leaderethics.us

#FusionVoting #DemocracyReform

Fusion voting gives people with independent leanings and mainstream values a real home—and a vote that actually means something. 🗳️

It’s time to make space for more voices at the table. #FusionVoting #MoreVoicesMoreChoices #WIpolitics

Tired of choosing the “lesser of two evils”? Fusion voting gives voters more real options. It lets smaller parties grow by backing candidates with a shot—no “wasted” votes. Bonus: It helped launch the GOP in Wisconsin before the Civil War. True story. @maggiedaunshow.bsky.social @civicmedia.us

🌻 A new party for a new Kansas.
United Kansas was officially recognized in 2024 after organizing thousands to demand a better choice—one that unites independents, Rs & Ds behind people-first governance.

Learn more: unitedkansas.com

This Old Democracy: A Project of the Center for Ballot Freedom This Old Democracy is a regular podcast that explores the ideas, movements, and people working to rescue our faltering political system — and rebuild American democracy on a stronger, more inclusive, ...

Fusion voting meant more choices for voters, more accountability for candidates. Time to bring it back. centerforballotfreedom.org/this-old-dem...

Great time on #ThisOldDemocracy podcast. @msifry.bsky.social asked me about fusion in US history. Minor parties like the Liberty Party, Free Soilers & Workingmen’s Party fused with major parties to win change—without spoiling elections.

Fusion voting is one major difference between @workingfamilies.org and @greenpartynewyork.bsky.social.

The Working Families Party utilizes fusion voting as a crucial tool, as explained in this video.

The Green Party of New York State, on the other hand, advocates abolishing fusion voting.

This Old Democracy: A Project of the Center for Ballot Freedom This Old Democracy is a regular podcast that explores the ideas, movements, and people working to rescue our faltering political system — and rebuild American democracy on a stronger, more inclusive, ...

Our very first episode launched on Monday, July 14th.
Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube: centerforballotfreedom.org/this-old-dem...

Host @msifry.bsky.social has launched a podcast in partnership with @centerforballotfreedom.org. Come check it out! (Links below)

With #FusionVoting, voters still cast one vote per race—but can back their preferred candidate without endorsing a party they dislike.

That means candidates like “Jane Doe, Republican” & “Jane Doe, Green Party” could both appear on the ballot. #WIpolitics @schmidtmitchell.bsky.social @madison.com

Same candidate, two parties. A Wisconsin lawsuit aims to bring back fusion voting Fusion voting means a candidate could appear on the ballot with multiple parties.

A new lawsuit in Wisconsin aims to revive fusion voting—letting candidates appear on the ballot under multiple party lines. Advocates say it could boost independents and break the two-party chokehold. @trentonian.com www.trentonian.com/2025/04/29/w...

Listen on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...

Listen on Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1TMo...

🎧 Just dropped: the latest episode of our podcast #ThisOldDemocracy! @msifry.bsky.social talks to columnist @perrybaconjr.bsky.social (en route from WaPo to @newrepublic.com) about the state of American democracy. Give it a listen now. [Links below]

Anti-fusion laws took hold nationwide in the early 1900s to limit minor party influence.

Today, full fusion voting survives only in CT & NY—but efforts to revive it are underway in WI, MI, KS, and NJ. More voices, more choices! 🗳️ #FusionVoting #WIpolitics @sbauerap.bsky.social @apnews.com

Tired of two-party politics? You’re not alone. 🍦You get 30 yogurt flavors at the grocery store—but just two choices at the ballot box. 🗳️

The @workingfamilies.org uses #FusionVoting in NY & CT so you can vote your values without playing spoiler. More choice, same vote. @mauricewfp.bsky.social

#FusionVoting lets a candidate be nominated by multiple parties—giving independents & third-party voters more say and pushing major candidates to appeal to the middle. @schmidtmitchell.bsky.social @madison.com

Law Forward & Gass Turek argue Wisconsin’s ban violates voters’ constitutional rights.

Fusion voting = when more than one party nominates the same candidate & it shows up on the ballot. @jrdresden.bsky.social @protectdemocracy.org

Voters can choose the party line that best matches their values, & all votes count toward that candidate. Real coalition-building, real voter power. 🗳️

The two-party doom loop is breaking our democracy. Voters want more choices—but the system punishes them for it. The Center for Ballot Freedom is working to fix that by reviving fusion voting and building a real path to multiparty democracy. It's time. 🗳️

Fearing the potential of being a spoiler or wasting votes, Kansas Democrats saw fusion voting as their path to survival. At their 1892 state convention, the Democrats “declared for complete fusion and nominated the entire elected and state ticket” of the Populists. #TBT

#FusionVoting was common in 1800s America, letting parties freely cross-nominate candidates.

It even helped birth the GOP in 1854, when antislavery Whigs, Democrats, and smaller parties united in Wisconsin to create the Republican Party. #History #WIpolitics @sbauerap.bsky.social @apnews.com