News - Center for Ballot Freedom

Our two-party political system isn’t working. The fix? More parties.

"The way to build the health of our political parties and thus of our democracy is by ensuring meaningful competition. We might have a two-party system, but in most parts of the country, we really have only a one-party system. Even where the two parties compete, they each have an effective monopoly on opposition. Only vibrant multiparty democracy can create enough competition. We need reforms that expand the possibilities for more and better parties to form."

April 27, 2023 Opinion | The Star-Ledger

Want to encourage centrists? Tell the party bosses to back off

“An FDU poll from February showed that 56% of New Jerseyans from across the spectrum support fusion voting, while only 32% oppose it…Poll director Dan Cassino believes the reason is simple: The system needs reform, and everybody knows it. “The argument against fusion ticket laws has always been about maintaining stability,” Cassino said. “But when both sides are unhappy with the way their parties are going, that stops being a compelling case.”’

April 23, 2023 Opinion | The Star-Ledger

Why we need a 3rd political party in New Jersey

Whitman and Torricelli assert that fusion voting would “empower the individual voter frustrated with our two major parties. A vote for a candidate on a centrist party’s line would be a powerful and effective way to signal that you favor problem-solving over posturing, and to reward politicians who are workhorses instead of grandstanders.”

December 1, 2022 Opinion | The Star-Ledger

I’m suing New Jersey because I shouldn’t have to vote for a Democrat or a Republican

"Fusion means that voters...can send a clear message about values and priorities while also helping the better candidate win.... Fusion was legal in New Jersey into the 1920s. I’m suing the state to permit it once again."

November 21, 2022 The New York Times

Does Fusion Voting Offer Americans a Way Out of the Partisan Morass?

"Under fusion voting, multiple parties can nominate the same candidate, who then appears more than once on the ballot. Proponents say it allows voters who don’t feel comfortable with either major party to express their preferences without “wasting” votes on candidates with no hope of winning."

October 20, 2022 Fast Company

Why pro-democracy advocates want to bring back this electoral system from the 1800s

Fusion voting allows a candidate to run on multiple party lines. Could it help end the country’s ‘two-party doom loop?’

September 26, 2022 CATO Institute

The First Amendment and Fusion Voting

In an age of hyper‐polarization, restoring fusion offers an important way to break up the strict duopoly of American politics.

September 20, 2022 Opinion | The Star-Ledger

Heard of fusion voting? It would actually benefit New Jersey.

It’s no secret that our political system is being tested by extreme polarization, threats to the rule of law, and challenges to democratic norms. But Connecticut offers what may be a secret weapon against this threat: fusion voting.

August 24, 2022 Opinion | NorthJersey.com

I’m suing NJ to fix election laws. Why? We need fusion voting

If we want democracy to be more than a history lesson for our children and grandchildren, we need change. Fusion voting isn’t just common sense; it could be the key to unlocking a less divisive, less violent, and more representative future.

July 7, 2022 Opinion | The Washington Post

3 ways to build a pro-democracy coalition

"Democracy defenders can experiment with new parties to pull voters away from the GOP. For example, Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), who is in a tough reelection fight in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, recently received the endorsement of the new Moderate Party. If the party prevails in its lawsuit against the state’s ban on ‘fusion’ parties, Malinowski would appear on the ballot under both the Democratic and Moderate banners."

July 6, 2022 Opinion | The New York Times

A Viable Third Party Is Coming, and It’s Starting With a New Jersey Lawsuit

The Moderate Party is an experiment: an alliance between Democrats of all stripes, independents and moderate Republicans hoping to win an election while pursuing a reform to the election laws that could empower swing voters to save our democracy from toxic polarization.

June 8, 2022 Opinion | The Washington Post

Could a New Political Party Defang Radical Politicians?

These sort of “fusion parties” used to be common throughout the 19th century, but the entrenched parties set about to outlaw them to protect their political turf.