Simple and powerful
Voters back every candidate they approve of. Candidates win by building broad support, not by playing to a narrow partisan base.
A new Respect Voters initiative
Democracy Insurance
Our democracy is under attack, and the time to protect it is now. We’re bringing approval voting to Missouri, North Dakota, Iowa, Montana, Denver and Cary, North Carolina. To win, we need , raised equally from Democrats, Republicans and independents. Because better elections belong to all of us.
The opportunity
Change the rules. Change the incentives.
Governments will make decisions worth trillions of dollars, with consequences for humanity’s future: artificial intelligence, public health, climate, global security. Yet our elections reward polarization, obstruction and short-term advantage over solving problems.
Changing those incentives may be one of the most cost-effective ways to improve our long-term future. That’s Democracy Insurance: a small premium against the biggest risks we face.
$100M+
The cost of one competitive U.S. Senate race today
Could change the rules for 8 U.S. Senate seats and 14 House seats
2020
The year our team passed approval voting in St. Louis
Senate cost: Associated Press via PBS NewsHour, Oct. 31, 2024.
Why this time is different
Built to win. Built to prove it.
Led by winners
Past approval voting efforts lacked seasoned campaigners. Jim McKelvey and a team of experienced political and reform leaders are changing that.
Prove it, then scale it
We’re not building another permanent organization. We’re here to win, measure the results, and hand the country a model it can copy.
Where we fight next
Politicians have already wiped out approval voting in North Dakota and most of Missouri. We’re answering in six places.
Missouri
Anchor state · Take it statewide
Amendment 7 banned approval voting everywhere but St. Louis. In 2028, Missouri voters get the last word.
2028 ballot
North Dakota
Win it back
In 2025 the legislature wiped out Fargo’s approval voting. Voters get the next say.
[Year]
Iowa
Take it to the statehouse
Iowa has no citizen initiative. So we’re organizing in every congressional district and bringing a bill to Des Moines.
2027 session
Montana
[Route]
[One line on the Montana campaign.]
[Year]
Denver
Let Denver decide
A charter amendment puts the choice where it belongs, with Denver voters.
2028 ballot
Cary, N.C.
Win in Cary
Cary scrapped its runoffs to save money. Approval voting gives voters a real choice on a single ballot.
2027 vote
Vote for everyone you believe in.
That’s approval voting. Mark every candidate you support, and the one with the most support wins. No more spoilers. No more voting for the lesser of two evils. Winners have to earn support from across the community. It’s the simplest, most powerful way to give politicians a reason to actually solve problems.
Official sample ballot
City of Harlan Springs
For City Council, At-LargeOne seat
Vote for as many as you approve of.
- Dana WhitlockSmall business ownerMarked
- Marcus BellRetired firefighter
- Rosa FerreiraSchool board memberMarked
- Glen HartleyAccountantMarked
- Theresa LundPediatric nurse
- Write-in
Approvals marked 3
Sample ballot. Made-up city, made-up candidates.
The plan
Fund the wins. All of them.
No state gets a fixed budget. Money follows political opportunity, matching funds and impact, so every dollar goes where it can win.
Full plan
Every target win, including statewide in Missouri.
Core plan
[Amount]
Three to four wins.
First wins
[Amount]
One to two wins.
Organizing starts this winter
Early commitments put organizers in Missouri now, so the campaign can use the 2027 legislative session to build relationships and get the runway a constitutional initiative needs: drafting, coalition building and signatures.
[Quote, Jim McKelvey, on why he’s backing Democracy Insurance]
Jim and a team of experienced political and democracy reform leaders are building a bipartisan campaign to change the rules of our elections, and the incentives driving government.
Stand up for voters.
Give today or pledge for the long fight. Every commitment counts toward your party’s third. Together, we’ll show that fixing our elections belongs to all of us, left, right and center.
Planning a major gift or a multi-year pledge? Talk with [Name] at [email].
How we count
- Affiliation
- Self-identified at the time of the gift. No voter-file checks.
- Committed
- Received plus pledged.
- Prefer not to say
- Counted in the total and in no third. Shown as unassigned.
- Privacy
- We report totals only. Answers are never shown next to names.