Structural Reforms in Washington at Large Voting Systems and Minority Communities

Although the civil rights era in America is over, there are still questions about how we can make the system work more efficiently and aggregate preferences of all voters. There is obvious under-representation of minorities relative to their population in many localities. The reasons for this may be a myriad of causes; lack of education, poor voter mobilization, large foreign born populations, or a legal or structural barrier to voting. Specifically in this proposal we seek to end multi member-at large voting districts as a means of election, mobilize voters through political structures/apparatus, and educate voters to participate in the process. This problem affects the Latino population in this region the most, other minorities are also at risk; but, Latinos are the largest underrepresented group. This problem came to my attention through developing a case study on the city politics and voter participation of the Latino community in Sunnyside, Washington. Although, most of their at large election system has been repealed there is still some at-large voting in this community. There is a huge amount of under-representation in this community. This lack of representation comes from not just one source, but many. It is of the utmost importance in the American system to maintain a political system that maximizes individual utility, strengthens communities, and allows for individuals to participate effectively in decision making. The majority of American\u27s believe that the civil rights debates are over, but with a second look the amount of inequality in some areas of this country is staggering. We must address some of the underlying causes that create inequality and empower the community to participate in the \u27agora\u27 (assembly), and create a system that does not have concentrations of power controlled by one race, social class, religion, or political ideolog