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The Primary Solution
Rescuing Our Democracy from the Fringes
By Nick Troiano
Introduction by Nick Troiano / Read by Pete Simonelli
Table of Contents
About The Book
In a divided America, the biggest solvable problem fueling political extremism and dysfunction is hiding in plain sight: party primaries. The Primary Solution shows how to fix them.
Congress has become an unproductive and unaccountable mess. Polls show that only 20 percent of Americans think it’s doing a good job—yet 90 percent of incumbents are reelected. This shocking discrepancy is a natural outcome of our system of party primaries and their polarizing incentives.
Party primaries were invented over a century ago to democratize candidate nominations, but today their exclusionary rules and low turnout guarantee the exact opposite: only a small fraction of voters wind up deciding the vast majority of our elections. The result is a Congress that, rather than representing a majority of Americans, is instead beholden to the fringes of both major parties. This is the “primary problem” in our politics today. Fortunately, the solution is both powerful and practical.
Nick Troiano, founding Executive Director of Unite America, makes a bold proposal to abolish party primaries in our country. Doing so does not require a Constitutional amendment or an act of Congress. In fact, several states have already replaced party primaries with nonpartisan primaries that give all voters the freedom to vote for any candidate in every election, regardless of party.
As America heads into another critical election year, The Primary Solution offers voters across the political spectrum a realistic roadmap to a more representative and functional democracy.
Congress has become an unproductive and unaccountable mess. Polls show that only 20 percent of Americans think it’s doing a good job—yet 90 percent of incumbents are reelected. This shocking discrepancy is a natural outcome of our system of party primaries and their polarizing incentives.
Party primaries were invented over a century ago to democratize candidate nominations, but today their exclusionary rules and low turnout guarantee the exact opposite: only a small fraction of voters wind up deciding the vast majority of our elections. The result is a Congress that, rather than representing a majority of Americans, is instead beholden to the fringes of both major parties. This is the “primary problem” in our politics today. Fortunately, the solution is both powerful and practical.
Nick Troiano, founding Executive Director of Unite America, makes a bold proposal to abolish party primaries in our country. Doing so does not require a Constitutional amendment or an act of Congress. In fact, several states have already replaced party primaries with nonpartisan primaries that give all voters the freedom to vote for any candidate in every election, regardless of party.
As America heads into another critical election year, The Primary Solution offers voters across the political spectrum a realistic roadmap to a more representative and functional democracy.
About The Reader
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (February 27, 2024)
- Runtime: 9 hours and 36 minutes
- ISBN13: 9781797172927
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- Book Cover Image (jpg): The Primary Solution Unabridged Audio Download 9781797172927
- Author Photo (jpg): Nick Troiano Photograph by Tomiko Franklin(0.1 MB)
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