California Minor Parties Join New Campaign for Proportional Representation in State Legislature

In a political era defined by partisan conflict and dysfunction, two of the State’s legacy minor parties

are demonstrating that partisan cooperation is possible. The Green Party of California and Peace & Freedom

Party of California have joined an emerging coalition seeking to reform the State’s election system.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

January 12, 2023

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Sacramento, California - In the wake of another divisive election cycle dominated by the two major parties, the Green Party of California and Peace & Freedom Party have joined an upcoming effort to bring proportional representation to California. This marks the first time in decades the parties have come together to champion proportional representation and signals the start of a new era of political organizing in California.

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Led by ProRep Coalition, a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the new campaign seeks to empower the State’s minor parties by seeding a grassroots movement for major electoral reform. The particular reform ProRep is advocating for is the adoption of proportional representation in California’s State Legislature. Used by most of the world’s advanced democracies, proportional representation is an electoral system that distributes legislative seats to parties in proportion to the votes they receive. It is the primary determinant of multi-party governments and is largely viewed by political scientists as a more inclusive, representative, and cooperative model of democracy.

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“The Green Party of California is committed to proportional representation because it diversifies our legislature to more closely reflect the composition of the actual population and their political perspectives. It extends representation to voters from minority parties, increases voter participation, eliminates gerrymandering, and reduces the percentage of votes needed to win, thereby acting as a campaign finance reform," said Green Party of California spokesperson David Cobb.

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"Real democracy requires proportional representation," said Peace and Freedom Party State Chair Debra Reiger.  "We need all points of view represented in our legislature."

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“ProRep’s mission to bring proportional representation to California has been made possible by the Green and Peace & Freedom Parties’ decades of political organizing and advocacy. They’ve laid the foundations of reform for us to build upon, and we intend on doing so with both parties by our side, guiding us with their expertise and passion. We feel deeply honored to have earned their trust, and look forward to working together to create the multi-party democracy California deserves,” said Caledon Myers, Founder and President of ProRep Coalition. 

 
About ProRep Coalition
Founded in 2022, ProRep Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to enable multi-party democracy in California through education and coalition-building for (Pro)portional (Rep)resentation. ProRep brings together Californians who believe a better democracy is possible — one in which all voices are heard. We are building a coalition of political parties, activists, academics, and non-profit organizations to seed a grassroots movement for meaningful electoral reform.

Together, we will bridge the gap between the public demand for change and real action, because California deserves a 21st-century democratic system capable of addressing 21st-century challenges.

About Proportional Representation
Proportional Representation is an electoral system that awards legislative seats to parties in proportion to the votes they receive in elections. One of the most notable effects of proportional representation is that it produces multi-party governments, representing a wider range of citizen’s political viewpoints. Most of the world’s developed democracies use some form of Proportional Representation in their federal elections, including but not limited to: New Zealand, Germany, Taiwan, Spain, Sweden, and Ireland.  
 

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For more information about ProRep Coalition and details of how you can join their upcoming advocacy efforts, please visit ProRepCoalition.org.

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Contact Information

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