In the News

Election Reform and Anti-Corruption Town Hall Recap

Hosted by Utah Approves | Utah Election Reform Coalition | Apr. 27, 2022 Watch our Utah Election Reform and Anti-Corruption Town Hall Recap! “We’re currently led by a wealthy out-of-touch elite class that’s incentivized by a faulty election system. Today, we’re going to be talking about what caused this landscape, the problems…

Keep reading

We Are Utah Podcast

Originally published on We Are Utah | Mar. 30, 2022 Imagine an election where the candidate with the highest approval rating wins. No games, no spoilers, no more feeling forced to choose the lesser of two evils. We can make that happen. Nate Allen – Executive Director Nate earned his associate’s degree…

Keep reading

Seeking Approval in Utah (with Nate Allen)

Originally published on How to Win Friends and Save the Republic | National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers | Mar. 18, 2022 We’re joined by Nate Allen, founder and Executive Director of Utah Approves, to discuss Approval Voting and his perspective on changing the incentives of our elections. Listen now

Keep reading

Innovating for the Next Generation of Voters

Originally published on YouTube | Hinckley Institute of Politics | Feb. 2, 2022 Watch our Director of Advocacy, Ammon Gruwell, give a presentation on Approval Voting at the Hinckley Institute of Politics! “One of the biggest benefits of Approval Voting is higher voter satisfaction. Since you can support any candidate that you…

Keep reading

Letter: Approval voting can strengthen existing political parties

Originally published in The Standard Examiner | Letters | Jan. 6, 2022 Many Americans are dissatisfied with the political status quo that is dominated by Republicans and Democrats. Other parties such as the Libertarian Party, Green Party, Constitution Party, and the Working Families Party, put in the work to organize and nominate…

Keep reading

Letter: Actually, approval voting is more expressive

Originally published in The Salt Lake Tribune | Public Forum | Dec. 7, 2021 I was discouraged to see a disingenuous take in a recent letter on the action by legislators to knock down adding approval voting to the municipal alternative voting methods pilot project, which is testing methods to inform a conversation on…

Keep reading

Ranked choice voting. Passing fad, or here to stay?

Originally published in The Salt Lake Tribune | Nov. 2, 2021 It won’t be smooth sailing for ranked choice supporters next year. Some lawmakers would very much like to repeal the pilot program. Former Rep. Steve Christiansen was working on legislation to eliminate the ranked choice voting and vote-by-mail in Utah. Others…

Keep reading

Letter: While ranked-choice stalls out, approval voting gains steam

Originally published in The Salt Lake Tribune | Public Forum | Oct. 26, 2021 You may have seen that the recent ballot initiative which would have implemented ranked-choice voting statewide was withdrawn due to a lack of on-the-ground organization. As disappointing as this may seem to supporters of reforming our election process, there is…

Keep reading

Approval Voting: Why Force Voters to Choose?

Originally published on BYU Radio | Top of Mind with Julie Rose | Sep. 21, 2021 New York recently became the largest city to use ranked-choice voting in a city-wide election. There’s another form of voting we just learned about called Approval Voting. And for this form of voting, voters don’t pick…

Keep reading

Op-Ed: Approval voting will help end the political duopoly

Originally published in The Salt Lake Tribune | Special to The Tribune | May 14, 2021 Imagine you walk into a shoe store and the only two options available are snow boots and flip-flops, and there’s a big sign hanging overhead saying “choose only one.” You would be shocked at both the…

Keep reading

Letter: Approval voting can help solve our political problems

Originally published in The Salt Lake Tribune | Public Forum | Feb. 14, 2021 With our country deeply divided over politics, we need to reward leaders who avoid divisiveness and extremism. Unfortunately, our current electoral system rewards extremists who grab attention and promise to fight their political adversaries. One simple change in…

Keep reading

Approval Voting Bill On Hold

The bill that would add Approval Voting to the state’s pilot program is being held for now, pending a summer study. Our representatives want to learn more and we’ll be working hard to answer their questions. The Government Operations Interim Committee will decide whether or not to recommend Approval Voting favorably to…

Keep reading

Op-Ed: We must stop playing politics like chess

Originally published at UtahPolicy.com | Today At Utah Policy | Feb. 2, 2021 Have you ever tried playing chess without taking any of your opponent’s pieces? This question is ridiculous to anyone who has the slightest notion of how chess is played. Chess isn’t a collaborative effort or even a race to…

Keep reading