Unite America Institute

OUR LATEST REPORT

Primary Voters Elect Most of Congress. They're Not Like Most Americans.

In 2024, 87% of Congressional races were decided in primary elections – meaning the 7% of voters who participated in these elections effectively chose the vast majority of the U.S. House. New analysis of Catalist voter file data illustrates just how unrepresentative these voters are compared to the general voting age population.

READ THE REPORT

OUR LATEST REPORT

Primary Voters Elect Most of Congress. They're Not Like Most Americans.

FLAGSHIP REPoRTS

Meaningful Votes: A New Metric to Understand American Politics

The Primary Problem

The Case for Political Philanthropy

SOLUTION SERIES

Alaska's Election Model: How the top-four nonpartisan primary system improves participation, competition, and representation

California’s Top-Two Primary: The Effects on Electoral Politics and Governance

Louisiana's Long-Term Election Experiment: How Eliminating Partisan Primaries Improved Governance and Reduced Polarization

REPORTS ON PRIMARY ELECTIONS

Research Brief: Primary Voters Elect Most of Congress. They're Not Like Most Americans.

Are Women Competitive Under All-Candidate Primaries?

The Influence of Special Interests in Primary Elections

Colorado’s Primary Problem: How partisan primaries limit voter choice, power, and representation in the Centennial State

Not Invited to the Party Primary: Independent Voters and the Problem with Closed Primaries

OTHER REPORTS ON REFORM

State of Reform: An Analysis of the Impact and Progress of Four Political Reforms

Ranking Works: An Examination of Ranked Choice Voting in New York City

Ranked Choice Voting: The Solution to the Presidential Primary Predicament

Voting At Home: How Democracy Survives A Pandemic

Movement Messaging Project

Re-imagining Governance in an Age of Polarization

REPORTS WITH PARTNERS

Towards Proportional Representation for the U.S. House: Amending the Uniform Congressional District Act

Prioritizing Achievable Federal Election Reform