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Tag: political parties

Coalition formation in Portland’s first STV election

I have a new report with Kevin Kosar and Jaehun Lee, jointly published by the American Enterprise Institute and Manhattan Institute:

Portland, Oregon, first used its new proportional ranked-choice voting electoral system to elect city council members in November 2024.

A variety of groups endorsed candidates in this nonpartisan election.

Analyses of these groups’ endorsements point to the emergence of four political blocs: national progressivism, pro-business pragmatism, local progressivism, and laborism.

It is not yet clear what style of politics will emerge in future elections. Possibilities include local multi-partism, local bi-partism based on coalition parties, and continued fluidity, including within the blocs themselves.

Portland’s urban politics may prove unstable and feature shifting alliances among these groups in the run-up to subsequent elections.

Read more…

Draft final essay prompt

Feel free to comment!

Schattschneider (1942: 191) expresses deep skepticism about the ability of “public opinion” to hold government accountable. He goes on to argue for more internally disciplined political parties. Please evaluate this diagnosis and prescription in view of what you have learned this semester. Success does not mean citing everything. Rather, you should cite the readings that are relevant to your argument. Please confine your answer to 750-1,500 words. The usual guidelines apply.