Wisconsin-based Democracy Found aims to break political gridlock with election reforms

A Wisconsin-based group is looking to shake up the way elections are held in the state in a bid to help politicians forge compromises and break political gridlock.

Democracy Found is pushing for open primaries with the top four finishers, regardless of party, advancing to the general election.

The general election would be determined by ranked choice voting, where voters rank the candidates in order of preference, creating a series of instant runoffs until one candidate achieves a majority. Maine adopted the ranked-choice voting system and it was used last year to determine the winner of a House seat.

The reforms being pushed would affect federal races for the House and U.S. Senate and potentially state offices, including in the Legislature.

The initiative is being championed by Katherine Gehl and others, who outlined the reforms Monday during a presentation at the Greater Milwaukee Committee meeting.

"We don't have a policy problem or a politician people problem. We have a political system problem," said Gehl, the former CEO of her family's food business.

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