“Proportional representation” can reduce polarization in Congress and help more people feel like their voices are heard

in the face of Widespread pessimism About the political fate of the United States and Increasing political polarizationScholars and citizens across the country are reimagining how American democracy can better serve the needs of all populations.

In the October 2025 poll, a slight majority said so Radical change There is a need to make life better in America, compared to 32% who answered that only minor change is needed.

Reimagining the future of the political system actually begins with the foundation of the system: how the common people choose the people who will represent them and make collective decisions.

The United States Constitution requires elected representatives in Congress to decide important matters, such as how to do so Taxation of population and spending That’s collective revenue. They determine whether to do so or not Go to war Or to defend allies if they were invaded.

These representatives are selected Winner takes all system Research shows that Preferably those who have money To spend on racing. It also nourishes Blatant polarizationHelps Restricting the choice to two main parties It ignores the voices of many voters.

What would it take to make this electoral system more responsive to citizens’ needs? How can it be more fair and accurate in representing the entire electorate?

One answer is proportional representation, the electoral system used in most other countries in the world Established democracies in the world. These systems elect several representatives in a region in proportion to the number of people who vote for them.

Modern Report from the Academy of Arts and Sciences Which I participated in Analyze the pros and cons of moving to such a system.

It examined evidence from other countries and concluded that proportional representation can provide fairer and more accurate representation and more choices. Proportional representation could also help address the deep political polarization sweeping the United States.

How does proportional representation work?

This proposal would change the way Americans elect their representatives in the US House of Representatives, and perhaps in state legislatures.

Currently, the winner-take-all system in the United States works as follows: states are divided into districts based on population and electors One representative in the House of Representatives for each region. The winner is the person who receives the most votes. Most states also use the single-member district system to elect members of their state legislatures.

Proportional representation system It has larger and multi-organ areas. Candidates are elected according to the share of votes they or their parties obtain.

There are different versions of proportional listing systems. In one version it is called Open list of proportional representationVoters choose a candidate from the party’s lists of nominated candidates or from the lists of independent candidates.

If the Good People Party, for example, received 40% of the votes in a 10-member district, it would get four seats. The top four vote winners on their list will be elected. If the Jaden Party wins 20% of the vote, it will get two seats, with the top vote-getters on its list elected.

This method simultaneously serves the purpose of a primary, allowing voters to choose from among party candidates.

Another version of proportional representation also has multi-member districts but has uses Vote on the ranked choice To select members, voters rank candidates according to their preference. New Zealand and Australia This system was changed for some representative bodies in 1993 and 1948 respectively.

Advantages of proportional representation include outcomes where more voters live in an area where at least one of the elected officials represents their choice. This is different from a winner-take-all system, where those on the losing side feel unrepresented, especially when the district is split 51% to 49%, for example.

Proportional representation opens the door to more choices because it becomes possible for a smaller party to win one seat out of five, for example. This means starting to dismantle the two-party system that currently forces some voters to choose the “lesser evil,” or strategically vote against their most hated party rather than for someone they want.

Proportional representation also abolishes Cheating Because voters will not be divided into small groups, Area boundaries can be easily manipulated. In addition, proportional representation has been shown to be effective More equal representation of minorities and women.

How can the United States get there?

To be sure, proportional representation can lead to difficulty Forming a majority coalition. This happened in Belgium in 2010. It can also lead to situations where small, extreme parties can demand significant concessions to join a larger party in forming a majority coalition, which could exacerbate the problem. Israel Recently witnessed.

Israel is often cited as a negative example of proportional representation. But the country is still unusual in that Extreme electoral system It includes the entire country as one large district with 120 seats, so that many smaller parties can be elected.

Research indicates Districts with three to eight members are ideal to provide more accurate representation without excessively fragmenting the party system.

In the United States, proportional representation would likely allow different factions of existing parties to be represented. Imagine a five-seat district that elects one MAGA Republican, one traditional Republican, one progressive Democrat, one centrist Democrat, and a third or independent candidate. This would begin to break down polarization and allow for the formation of different coalitions across different issues.

Changing the system for electing members of the House of Representatives does not require a constitutional amendment. The Constitution allows states to determine the method of elections.

But Congress would need to repeal the 1967 law The law that defines individual districtswritten to aid implementation Voting Rights Act of 1965 In Southern states that used the bloc system to disenfranchise black voters.

In a bloc system, voters receive a number of votes equal to the number of seats in that district. Therefore, in a five-seat district, each voter gets five votes instead of just one vote in the proportional system. Thus the majority group, whites say, can choose to vote for white-only candidates and win across the board, preventing any minority candidate from winning. Revocation could include a ban on returning to that block’s system.

Proportional representation requires lawmakers who hold their seats under the current system to agree to change a 1967 law. They may be reluctant to switch to a system that gives voters more choices.

but Interviews with retired MPs Show their frustration with the dysfunction and toxicity of the current Congress. And some Lawmakers are pressing To form a commission to study how changes to the electoral system could create a better-functioning Congress.

In addition, there is Growing support for electoral reform In the United States a September 2024 survey It found that more than half of Americans believe the United States should change the way we elect our representatives to Congress. 63% believe that the country would be better off with more than two competing parties.

One US city – Portland, Oregon – recently Go to proportional representation. The Portland City Council that takes office in 2025 has a greater gender, minority and neighborhood profile representation than in the past, even if it faced some initial difficulties in forming a majority coalition. and Cambridge, MassachusettsProportional representation has been used since 1941, with 95% of voters seeing one of their top three choices elected.

States and municipalities can thus become laboratories of creativity, experiment with different versions of proportional representation, and provide models and momentum for change at the national level. The country can begin not only to reimagine it, but also to experiment with a different democracy that serves everyone.