Fusion Voting: An Analysis
March 30, 2007
By Benjamin Healey, Myriah Pahl

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At the request of state legislators in Maine and other states, Demos--a nonpartisan public policy research and advocacy organization--has conducted extensive research on the implications of re-legalizing fusion voting in states across the nation. This research included:

• Interviews with election administration officials in states where fusion is currently legal.

• Legal analyses prepared by election lawyers in both fusion-legal states and in states where fusion revival bills now sit before legislative committees.

• On-the-ground examination of voting technology.

In this briefing paper, we address the following issues regarding the revival of fusion voting:

I. Fusion: Is It Good For Democracy?

II. Technical Considerations

III. Financial Costs

IV. Public Education

Our research has examined a number of technical concerns raised about fusion voting and found that each can be addressed easily and at low cost. In addition, in the course of conducting this project, we have come to believe that the re-introduction of fusion voting is likely to have beneficial effects on the democratic process in any state where such legislation is enacted.

We hope this paper is useful to you. We wish to thank lead author and researcher Ben Healey of our Massachusetts partner organization, the Public Policy Institute; and Myriah Pahl of Demos for her important interviewing and research contributions. Readers with any technical, fiscal or other questions or concerns about fusion voting should feel free to contact Ben Healey at (617) 275-2855.

Miles Rapoport, President, Demos

Stuart Comstock-Gay, Director of the Democracy Program, Demos