Eliminate Single Member Districts

Single member districts are a big problem. They encourage gerrymandering. They depress voting.

Problem - Gerrymandering
Legislators are encouraged to gerrymander, to create voting districts that alter the outcome of elections. The borders of districts can be manipulated to produce favorable outcomes for the manipulator. Districts can be created to concentrate supporters. They can also be formed to disperse opponents

Problem - Incumbency
Incumbents have an 80% advantage over most opponents. Single member districts reduce the amount of competition an incumbent must face. Generally an incumbent will only face serious competiton from one member of the opposing political party.

Problem - Low Voter Turnout
Voters become dissatisfied with lack of choices. They become disheartened by lack of choice.

Problem - Negative campaigning
Candidates can run negative campaigns inn which they trash the other candidate rather than signalling why they should be chosen themselves.

Solution 1 - Two Member Districts in the Senate
Two member districts shake up the system. In a two member system, each voter would vote once but two candidates would win. Gerrymandering would be more difficult. There would be more choices. Some districts would still produce only politicians from one party. All red or all blue. In purple districts there would also be a potential for the election of one red plus one blue. Other possibilities are either red or blue plus an independent. At the very least, voters would have a choice of multiple red or multiple blue candidates in each election. Negative campaigning would be more difficult. It wouldn't be enough to defeat a candidate. you must also be able to convince voters to pick you.

Solution 2 - Combine Two member districts with At Large Districts for the House
The best solution is a combination of Two Member and At Large. Each voter will vote twice, once in the Two Member contest and once in the At Large contest. For each Two Member district, the State will have one At Large District. The At Large districts would collectively allow for the expression of smaller and regional political beliefs. Larger states would have more districts and therefore more At Large Members. The Two Member Districts would provide stability from the two major political parties.

California is the largest State. It would have 66 districts. That would yield 132 members of districts (2 per district) and 33 At Large for the State as a whole. Each voter would vote once in each election. One vote in his own two member local district and once for his choice of At Large candidate. The top two candidates in each local district will win. In the At Large contest, the top 33 candidates would win.