Katherine Gehl has an idea to improve our democracy: Final Five Voting | EP 21

In this interview with business leader, author, political theorist, and speaker of a popular TED talk Katherine Gehl, we talk about why our political system is "fixed" and incentivizing the wrong behavior from elected leaders. Gehl is a fascinating figure. She's a successful businesswoman who sold her high-tech food company for $250 million so she could focus full-time on her organization, the Institute For Political Innovation (IPI), and bringing  Final Five voting to states across the country.

 

Final-Five Voting is the combination of (1) a single open primary election with the top 5 candidates advancing to the general election and (2) ranked-choice voting in the general election. A similar proposal passed in Alaska in 2020.

This kind of proposal could be coming to Oregon in 2024 via ballot measure, and it could fundamentally change Oregon's electoral system. In this episode, we explore Gehl's diagnosis of the problem (the "political industrial complex"), her solutions, and we talk through some potential critiques from Alex and Ben.