Students for Election Reform (SER)

The status quo isn’t working, and its been clear for generations. Americans are cynical or apathetic about politics because they don’t think they have a real voice. Whether its the failings of the two party system or the influence of billionaires and corporations, people are losing faith in elections and democratic institutions. Babe Vote Nevada is here to spell out the problems and mobilize youth to take charge on implementing the solutions.

The Problems:

  • Plurality/”First-Past-The-Post” Voting methods

  • Single-member political districts

  • The Two-Party System

  • Closed Primaries

  • Gerrymandering

  • Dark Money influence on elections

  • Obstacles to Voter Registration and Low Voter Turnout

  • Barriers to Voting

The Solutions:

  • New, more expressive voting methods (RCV, STAR, etc)

  • Multi-member Districts./proportional representation

  • Inclusion of minor parties and independents

  • Semi-Open/Open Primaries

  • Independent, non-partisan redistricting

  • Campaign Finance Reform, including overturning Citizens United and publicly funded elections

  • Automatic Voter Registration; making election day a holiday; and mandatory voting

  • Robust early voting; mail-in voting; preventing voter id laws; etc

Babe Vote UNLV board member, Pio Rejas, introducing an election reform amendment to UNLV’s undergraduate student government

Campus Reform Initiative

Schools are more than just degree factories. They are community resource hubs, artistic centers, social/cultural generators, hot beds for activism and civic engagement and, importantly…laboratories of democracy.

While the election reform movement may have experienced setbacks in 2024 with the defeat of ballot questions 3 in Nevada, we have decided to make the fight even more hyper local.

Student governments have elections every year. Why can’t these elections be more representative with election reform? This is the heart of our campaign. We want to empower students to help bring the pro-democracy movement to their campuses.

Election Reform was on the ballot in 7+ states in 2024. Our students need to be prepared to be a part of the conversation. Every new student we expose to RCV is another voter with the knowledge they need to transition to more equitable election methods. When election reform becomes normal on campuses, it can hopefully, one day, become normal in society.