MAJORITY RULES
With America’s democratic experiment mired in division and dysfunction, the state of Alaska votes to revolutionize their election system. The surprising results spark new alliances, a growing call for election reform, and fierce pushback from political parties. Could changing how Americans vote also change politics for the better?
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SYNOPSIS
Alaska is gearing up to do something that no other state has ever done: Adopting a pair of election reforms that will eliminate traditional party primaries and allow voters to rank their candidates by preference. Just as election workers, citizens, and politicians are beginning to adapt to this new system, the state’s longest-serving Congressman unexpectedly dies, creating an open seat and prompting a special election that will test this system months earlier than expected. As dozens of candidates –including former Governor Sarah Palin– jump into the race for the highly coveted seat, everyone must learn how these new voting reforms will change the rules of campaigning and winning. The surprising outcome in that special election leads to a groundswell of support for election reform in other states and fierce pushback from political parties and partisans, just as the Alaska general election gets underway.
Veteran political documentary filmmaker AJ Schnack (Caucus, Convention) returns to the campaign trail asking whether these new Alaska reforms, an all-candidate open primary and an instant runoff general election, might be a prescription for what ails the American democratic experiment. Traveling across the country, Schnack and his crew interview reform supporters and opponents, looking at where these reforms are already in place and where they may soon be adopted. The resulting film answers two of our nation’s most pressing questions: How did the American electoral system become so dysfunctional, and can changes to how we vote change our entire system for the better?
Director
AJ Schnack
WITH
Nick Troiano, AJ Schnack, Alana Schwartz, Beth Hladick, Chris Ho, Ben Rekhi
Run Time
1 hour, 32 minutes
Released
June 28, 2024
Distributed by
Abramorama
HEARING AND VISUAL ASSISTANCE
Assisted Listening
Additional assistance options TBA
Country
SUBTITLES
None
NOT RATED
Many of the films shown at The Ross are not rated due to the prohibitive cost of acquiring a rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. Consequently, as many of these films contain graphic content, viewer discretion is advised.
REVIEWS
“The film offers up at least one unquestionably winning campaign in suggesting that change is possible.”
“Politically-minded viewers will love this deep dive into election reform and ranked choice voting. The film’s casual approach takes a complex and potentially dry subject and transforms it into an engaging story that never becomes overly academic.”
“While the subject of the film is a bipartisan matter anyway, Schnack’s usual impartiality helps to make this a must-watch for viewers of all political leanings.”