{"id":36578,"date":"2026-08-10T14:25:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T09:25:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=36578"},"modified":"2026-08-10T14:25:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T09:25:57","slug":"proportional-representation-has-majority-support-in-new-poll-npr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=36578","title":{"rendered":"Proportional representation has majority support in new poll : NPR"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"storytext\">\n<div id=\"resg-s1-137885\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" 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900w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8192x5464+0+0\/resize\/1200\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffc%2Fa8%2Ff0d6b970450bbf8b3a32316a70cb%2Fgettyimages-2289075586.jpg 1200w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8192x5464+0+0\/resize\/1600\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffc%2Fa8%2Ff0d6b970450bbf8b3a32316a70cb%2Fgettyimages-2289075586.jpg 1600w,&#10;https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8192x5464+0+0\/resize\/1800\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffc%2Fa8%2Ff0d6b970450bbf8b3a32316a70cb%2Fgettyimages-2289075586.jpg 1800w\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8192x5464+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffc%2Fa8%2Ff0d6b970450bbf8b3a32316a70cb%2Fgettyimages-2289075586.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1025px) 650px, calc(100vw - 30px)\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8192x5464+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffc%2Fa8%2Ff0d6b970450bbf8b3a32316a70cb%2Fgettyimages-2289075586.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8192x5464+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffc%2Fa8%2Ff0d6b970450bbf8b3a32316a70cb%2Fgettyimages-2289075586.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Voters cast ballots Tuesday at the Copland Center in Wyandotte, Mich.\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Voters cast ballots Tuesday at the Copland Center in Wyandotte, Mich.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    Finn Gomez\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><br \/>\n              <svg class=\"icon icon--info\"><use href=\"#icon-info\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n              <b>toggle caption<\/b><br \/>\n            <\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        Finn Gomez\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Amid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/politics\/2026\/05\/01\/americans-continue-to-view-both-the-republican-and-democratic-parties-negatively\/\" target=\"_blank\">growing frustration<\/a> with both major political parties, voters are open to some big changes.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fixourhouse.org\/new-poll-shows-growing-support-for-proportional-representation\" target=\"_blank\">new poll<\/a>, commissioned by supporters of election reforms and shared with NPR, shows there is significant support for upending winner-take-all U.S. House elections and single-member congressional districts and instead moving toward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2023\/11\/18\/1194448925\/congress-proportional-representation-explainer\" target=\"_blank\">proportional representation<\/a>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/protectdemocracy.org\/work\/proportional-representation-explained\/\" target=\"_blank\">system<\/a> that elects multiple representatives in a single district in rough proportion to a party&#8217;s vote share.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5920312-100\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImage1194448925\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2023\/11\/18\/1194448925\/congress-proportional-representation-explainer\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2023\\\/11\\\/18\\\/1194448925\\\/congress-proportional-representation-explainer&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2023\/11\/16\/ap23037624067094_sq-542139022f308f494ec7cab164460b1527b4ede1.jpg?s=100&amp;c=85&amp;f=jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2023\/11\/16\/ap23037624067094_sq-542139022f308f494ec7cab164460b1527b4ede1.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2023\/11\/16\/ap23037624067094_sq-542139022f308f494ec7cab164460b1527b4ede1.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2023\/11\/16\/ap23037624067094_sq-542139022f308f494ec7cab164460b1527b4ede1.jpg?s=100&amp;c=85&amp;f=jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2023\/11\/16\/ap23037624067094_sq-542139022f308f494ec7cab164460b1527b4ede1.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2023\/11\/16\/ap23037624067094_sq-542139022f308f494ec7cab164460b1527b4ede1.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2023\/11\/16\/ap23037624067094_sq-542139022f308f494ec7cab164460b1527b4ede1.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2023\/11\/16\/ap23037624067094_sq-542139022f308f494ec7cab164460b1527b4ede1.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"A perimeter fence surrounds the U.S. Capitol in February ahead of President Biden's State of the Union speech in Washington, D.C.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5920312-100\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>Earlier this summer, about 500 democracy and legal experts sent a <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@scholars-redistricting-reform\/letter-to-congress-end-the-redistricting-wars-by-adopting-proportional-representation-098001be937c\" target=\"_blank\">letter<\/a> to Congress urging members to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/show\/group-urges-congress-to-adopt-proportional-representation-to-end-redistricting-battles\" target=\"_blank\">consider<\/a> proportional representation as a solution to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/07\/23\/nx-s1-5896335\/black-voters-republican-redistricting\" target=\"_blank\">redistricting brinksmanship<\/a> set off by President Trump last year.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There should be little doubt that the single-member district system is failing to deliver fair and representative outcomes,&#8221; they wrote. &#8220;We urge Congress to adopt a proportional system of representation, solving the gerrymandering problem at its source.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>According to the poll conducted by the advocacy group Fix Our House and liberal think tank New America, half of 1,000 respondents said they support proportional representation, with nearly a quarter opposed. A third of those who participated said they were not sure whether they supported it or not.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-backstage-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap backstage\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Lee Drutman, a senior fellow at New America, said he was surprised to see how much backing there is for proportional representation, despite the idea being fairly obscure in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It really did shock me how supportive people were of the various principles of proportional representation across the board,&#8221; he told NPR.<\/p>\n<p>While support was highest among younger, more educated, more left-leaning voters, Drutman found that 6 in 10 Trump voters who have an opinion on proportional representation said they back it, too.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">American voters want more political parties<\/h3>\n<p>Pollsters also walked respondents through some of the tradeoffs of proportional representation \u2014 including that it can lead to multiple parties having to find a way to work together.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For every one of those questions, people prefer the proportional system with multiple parties,&#8221; Drutman said, &#8220;even if it leads to a coalition government that is maybe not quite as efficient.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He said voters also weren&#8217;t very concerned when asked about the possibility of proportional representation leading to some more extreme political parties.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;One thing people said is they already think the parties are pretty extreme right now,&#8221; Drutman explained. &#8220;So that&#8217;s not quite the fear that some in the political class think it would be.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-secondary-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap secondary\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<aside id=\"mid-story-recommendations-mount-piano\" class=\"mid-story-recommendations-mount-piano\" aria-label=\"recommended stories\"\/>\n<!-- END ID=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" CLASS=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" ARIA-LABEL=\"RECOMMENDED STORIES\" --><\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5920312-101\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5839201\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/05\/30\/nx-s1-5839201\/party-primaries-polarized-congress\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/30\\\/nx-s1-5839201\\\/party-primaries-polarized-congress&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4316x4316+425+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd1%2Fc3%2Fe4df9a374ffd992018a7ec7e5928%2Fgettyimages-2276547287.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4316x4316+425+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd1%2Fc3%2Fe4df9a374ffd992018a7ec7e5928%2Fgettyimages-2276547287.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4316x4316+425+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd1%2Fc3%2Fe4df9a374ffd992018a7ec7e5928%2Fgettyimages-2276547287.jpg\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4316x4316+425+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd1%2Fc3%2Fe4df9a374ffd992018a7ec7e5928%2Fgettyimages-2276547287.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4316x4316+425+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd1%2Fc3%2Fe4df9a374ffd992018a7ec7e5928%2Fgettyimages-2276547287.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4316x4316+425+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd1%2Fc3%2Fe4df9a374ffd992018a7ec7e5928%2Fgettyimages-2276547287.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4316x4316+425+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd1%2Fc3%2Fe4df9a374ffd992018a7ec7e5928%2Fgettyimages-2276547287.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/4316x4316+425+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd1%2Fc3%2Fe4df9a374ffd992018a7ec7e5928%2Fgettyimages-2276547287.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"&quot;I Voted&quot; stickers are seen as a person casts their ballot in Philadelphia in Pennsylvania's primary election on May 19.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5920312-101\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5920312-102\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5742595\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/04\/14\/nx-s1-5742595\/virginia-popular-vote-compact\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/14\\\/nx-s1-5742595\\\/virginia-popular-vote-compact&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3803x3803+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F56%2F5494acc449338e1e376bc61e5bb7%2Fap24305654380552.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3803x3803+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F56%2F5494acc449338e1e376bc61e5bb7%2Fap24305654380552.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3803x3803+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F56%2F5494acc449338e1e376bc61e5bb7%2Fap24305654380552.jpg\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3803x3803+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F56%2F5494acc449338e1e376bc61e5bb7%2Fap24305654380552.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3803x3803+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F56%2F5494acc449338e1e376bc61e5bb7%2Fap24305654380552.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3803x3803+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F56%2F5494acc449338e1e376bc61e5bb7%2Fap24305654380552.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3803x3803+0+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F56%2F5494acc449338e1e376bc61e5bb7%2Fap24305654380552.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3803x3803+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2F56%2F5494acc449338e1e376bc61e5bb7%2Fap24305654380552.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"A person with their back to the camera marks their ballot in a voting booth bearing a U.S. flag and the word &quot;Vote.&quot;\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5920312-102\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>Jocelyn Kiley, director of political research at the Pew Research Center, said voters writ-large have been in a &#8220;prolonged period of disaffection with politics and the political system.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>She said Pew has found there is a lot of openness to reform, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/short-reads\/2026\/01\/15\/nearly-4-in-10-americans-wish-they-had-options-beyond-the-republican-and-democratic-parties\/\" target=\"_blank\">nearly 70% of respondents to its polls<\/a> saying they wish, at least somewhat, there were more political parties to choose from.<\/p>\n<p>Kiley said detailed knowledge of what any election reform would look like is rare among voters. And she said that when many reforms &#8220;move from theory to practice,&#8221; they often hit some resistance.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;People want to understand exactly how that reform will impact them,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">Room for a national conversation<\/h3>\n<p>Drutman told NPR the new poll numbers mark a starting point for what could be a national conversation about how to break out of the country&#8217;s two-party system.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;People are dissatisfied,&#8221; he said. &#8220;People are frustrated. People don&#8217;t have a language for how to talk about alternatives because they haven&#8217;t really heard all that much about the alternatives, because we haven&#8217;t had a national conversation about the alternatives yet. So, there&#8217;s a lot of room to have that conversation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Drutman said only about a quarter of the respondents were aware that there are alternatives to a two-party system, and even fewer people could name an alternative when pressed.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, only about 2% of the participants in the poll could name proportional representation off the top of their heads, said Dustin Wahl, executive director of Fix Our House,<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But when asked about the kind of underlying values beneath it and the component parts, there was widespread support from all across the political spectrum,&#8221; Wahl said. &#8220;And that&#8217;s not something we would have expected to see necessarily four years ago, for instance. But as the problems grow, the desire for solutions grows, as well.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-third-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap third\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5920312-103\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5707254\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/02\/22\/nx-s1-5707254\/power-trump-congress-house-representatives-voters-control\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/22\\\/nx-s1-5707254\\\/power-trump-congress-house-representatives-voters-control&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5464x5464+2652+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2F98%2Fb5c2883e4abb98eb68eba50568b2%2Fgettyimages-2223367744.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5464x5464+2652+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2F98%2Fb5c2883e4abb98eb68eba50568b2%2Fgettyimages-2223367744.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5464x5464+2652+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2F98%2Fb5c2883e4abb98eb68eba50568b2%2Fgettyimages-2223367744.jpg\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5464x5464+2652+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2F98%2Fb5c2883e4abb98eb68eba50568b2%2Fgettyimages-2223367744.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5464x5464+2652+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2F98%2Fb5c2883e4abb98eb68eba50568b2%2Fgettyimages-2223367744.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5464x5464+2652+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2F98%2Fb5c2883e4abb98eb68eba50568b2%2Fgettyimages-2223367744.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5464x5464+2652+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2F98%2Fb5c2883e4abb98eb68eba50568b2%2Fgettyimages-2223367744.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/5464x5464+2652+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F71%2F98%2Fb5c2883e4abb98eb68eba50568b2%2Fgettyimages-2223367744.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"The extraordinary mid-decade redistricting push has &quot;eviscerated the competitive range of districts in which Americans have a real say over who controls Congress in November,\u201d says David Wasserman, senior elections analyst for the Cook Political Report.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5920312-103\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>Proportional representation is currently the <a href=\"https:\/\/electoral-reform.org.uk\/how-many-countries-around-the-world-use-proportional-representation\/\" target=\"_blank\">most widely used electoral system<\/a> among the world&#8217;s democracies. Wahl points out that the U.S., along with the likes of Canada and Australia, has a system that was abandoned long ago by other countries.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Arguably the only reason we don&#8217;t use proportional representation is because it wasn&#8217;t used anywhere in the world at the time of [America&#8217;s] founding,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And we just kept doing elections the same way.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The poll also found a majority support (54%) for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/04\/20\/988865415\/stuck-at-435-representatives-why-the-u-s-house-hasnt-grown-with-census-counts\" target=\"_blank\">expanding the House<\/a>, with 150 new members.<\/p>\n<p>There are bills in Congress, with all Democratic co-sponsors, that would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/house-resolution\/20\" target=\"_blank\">study<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/house-bill\/4632\" target=\"_blank\">move<\/a> the U.S. to a system of proportional representation, but Wahl said any bill that doesn&#8217;t include expanding the House is &#8220;politically dead in the water&#8221; because without expansion, lawmakers have to choose to potentially vote themselves out of office.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That [150-seat expansion] gives you enough of a cushion so that members, incumbents know that they&#8217;re very likely to hold on to their seats,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It wouldn&#8217;t run into the problem, at all, of candidates or of sitting members of Congress thinking that they&#8217;re going to lose their seats because their elections would be totally untouched.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Voters cast ballots Tuesday at the Copland Center in Wyandotte, Mich. Finn Gomez\/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Finn Gomez\/Getty Images Amid growing frustration with both major political parties, voters are open to some big changes. A new poll, commissioned by supporters of election reforms and shared with NPR, shows there is significant support for&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36579,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8192x4608+0+856\/resize\/1400\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffc%2Fa8%2Ff0d6b970450bbf8b3a32316a70cb%2Fgettyimages-2289075586.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36578"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36578\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}