Center for Ballot Freedom

Winner-take-all voting isn’t the only type of electoral system out there. Let’s talk about fusion voting. @Promote_VoteMI

To really get out of this polarized mess, we need to think about ways to create more cross-cutting cleavages, whether through new parties that don't fit the standard left-right spectrum or new civil society organizations. You know, we are really excited by the effort, for instance, to create a patients' union that is being launched right now. @awh @Mlsif

Fusion voting won’t solve every problem in American politics, but it can create more room for moderation, reward cooperation, and give voters more meaningful choices beyond the two-party divide. It’s one way to build a system where more voices have a seat at the table. @jefftimmer

Michigan’s fusion voting fight is reaching a critical moment. The Court of Claims will decide whether the state’s ban stands, with the League of Women Voters of Michigan backing the challenge. It’s time to give voters more choice and minor parties a stronger voice. @JrnDavidson @MichiganAdvance michiganadvance.com/2026/10/…

What would one of those policy levers look like? @awh and @Mlsif discuss the expanded child tax credit, which sent families monthly payments for six months during COVID, as an example. He asks whether the law could or should also have helped those families organize themselves:

What if candidates had to build broader coalitions, listen beyond their partisan base, and earn support from voters who don’t fully identify with either major party? @jefftimmer Fusion voting can help make that possible—giving voters more ways to support both candidates and the parties that represent their values.

Wisconsin’s century-old ban on fusion voting protects the two-party duopoly at the expense of voter choice. Let parties cross-nominate candidates, build coalitions, and compete on ideas. It’s time to end the fusion ban. @wisconsinwatch wisconsinwatch.org/2026/10/w…

Alex Hertel-Fernandez borrows organizer Ai-jen Poo's image of three Earths: 🌍 🌎 🌏 @awh @USDOL @ColumbiaSIPA @aijenpoo @domesticworkers @caringacrossgen @careinactionUS @supermajority @sunstormpod @Mlsif

Minor parties shouldn’t have to choose between being spoilers and being ignored. @jefftimmer Fusion voting changes the equation: smaller parties can become force multipliers, not spoilers, while voters support both the candidates who can win and the parties that best reflect their values. More choice. More accountability. More political voices heard.

California needs more political competition—not just more candidates from the same two parties. Fusion voting and proportional representation would help new parties grow, give voters more choices, and make elected officials more accountable. Democracy works better when politicians have to compete for our votes. @sfstandard @stan_okl sfstandard.com/2026/10/18/ca…

Alex Hertel-Fernandez on labor, state power, and what happens after a policy victory substack.com/home/post/p-217…

Fusion voting once offered voters a way to support candidates across party lines—until political machines began banning it around the turn of the 20th century. Today, it survives in New York, Connecticut, Oregon, and Vermont. Restoring it more widely could expand voter choice and give smaller parties a stronger voice. @stan_okl @sfstandard

Today, at least one-third of Wisconsin voters don’t identify with either major party. This case asks a fundamental question: Does the Constitution protect the right of minor parties to organize, build coalitions, and participate meaningfully in our democracy—or can laws designed to entrench a two-party duopoly remain in place forever? #FusionVoting

Micah Sifry talks with Tom Asher, the director of research and global engagement at Columbia World Projects. Tom Asher is leading a university-wide working group that seeks to turn academic insights into pathways for action on challenging civic and social problems. substack.com/home/post/p-210…

At a time when many Americans are frustrated by polarization, gridlock, and a lack of political choice, fusion voting offers a practical, time-tested alternative. It allows voters to support the candidates they prefer without being confined to a strict two-party framework. #FusionVoting @LeaderEthics_us

A noted civil rights lawyer and law professor makes the constitutional case for reviving fusion voting (and fusion parties) — and explains why he thinks the timing is right. @sbagen @Mlsif Read more: substack.com/home/post/p-206…

The claim that fusion voting confuses voters doesn’t hold up. Wisconsin successfully used fusion voting for decades, voters in states where it remains legal navigate it just fine, and research shows voters readily understand cross-nominated candidates. Protecting a two-party monopoly is not the same as protecting voters. #FusionVoting @LawForward

Something is missing from American politics — and it’s not a policy position or a charismatic leader. It’s a structural connection between the people who hold office and the communities they claim to represent. Read more: substack.com/home/post/p-202…

We shouldn’t have to choose between being independent and having a real voice @McConaughey. Nearly 6 in 10 voters dislike each party, and a quarter dislike both. Most Americans want another option, but only 15% would actually risk a third-party vote because they don’t want to hand the election to the side they fear most. Fusion voting offers a path forward: let multiple parties support the same candidate while keeping their own ballot lines, so voters can back an independent-minded coalition without wasting their vote. Fusion isn’t a new-fangled idea, by the way, back in the 1800s third parties used it all the time to force their issues onto the agenda. In Texas, the People’s Party (also called the Populist Party) was founded in 1891 and it spread widely, challenging the dominant Democrats for several years. But they outlawed it because they didn’t want the competition. With fusion, you can "protest" by voting for the candidate who can win, on the line of a party that represents what you actually believe. Your vote counts fully, and the party you’re frustrated with sees exactly how many people are sending them a message. news.gallup.com/poll/696521/…