Approximating Democracy: A Proposal for Proportional Representation in the California Legislature

The State of California elects a bicameral legislature through a firstpast-the-post electoral system. Beginning in 2012, the election of California state legislators will be through an open primary, two-round system. Neither of these electoral systems provides for proportional representation in the legislature. Accordingly, neither system leads to a truly representative democracy.

The author recommends that the state adopt a proportional representation electoral system—specifically, a mixed-member system—as a more democratic alternative to the plurality/majority systems now in place or projected to be implemented in 2012. In addition, the author explains why the state legislature should be unicameral and increased in size from the current 120 legislators to 320.