25 Can Better Ballots Beat Bad Maps? With Ashley Brown
What if the quickest fix for American democracy isn’t new maps—but better ballots? In this episode, we ask whether top-two primaries, ranked-choice voting, and a bigger U.S. House could outflank gerrymandering’s worst effects—fast.
Episode summary:
Redistricting wars grab headlines, but the map fight is only part of the story. Marketing veteran and election systems enthusiast Ashley Brown joins Pacific Time to argue that ballot design, primary structure, and seat math shape who we elect just as much as district lines do. We dig into top-two primaries on the West Coast, where ranked-choice is working, and why expanding the House could make “safe seats” less safe for extremists. This is a pragmatic, West Coast–forward blueprint for how states can upgrade elections now—with tools already on the shelf.
Redistricting wars grab headlines, but the map fight is only part of the story. Marketing veteran and election systems enthusiast Ashley Brown joins Pacific Time to argue that ballot design, primary structure, and seat math shape who we elect just as much as district lines do. We dig into top-two primaries on the West Coast, where ranked-choice is working, and why expanding the House could make “safe seats” less safe for extremists. This is a pragmatic, West Coast–forward blueprint for how states can upgrade elections now—with tools already on the shelf.
Highlights:
- Why gerrymandering is a symptom (and what the disease actually is)
- Top-two primaries vs. ranked-choice voting
- “Wider on-ramps, narrower off-ramps”: redesigning primaries to reward coalition builders
- The case to expand the House (and how it would change incentives overnight)
- What West Coast states can implement in 12–24 months
About our guest:
Ashley Brown is a seasoned brand and marketing leader (Microsoft, Coca‑Cola, Amazon, Porch) with a long-running personal obsession: how election systems shape countries. He brings a practitioner’s eye to election reform—translating complex ideas into simple changes voters can understand and adopt.
Ashley Brown is a seasoned brand and marketing leader (Microsoft, Coca‑Cola, Amazon, Porch) with a long-running personal obsession: how election systems shape countries. He brings a practitioner’s eye to election reform—translating complex ideas into simple changes voters can understand and adopt.
Related resources:
- “Trump prompted a battle over voting maps. Here’s how redistricting affects voters,” NPR, August 18, 2025
- “Gerrymandering Explained,” Brennan Center for Justice, August 9, 2025
- “Ranked-choice voting is the future,” Endless Jest/Substack by Ashley Brown, April 23, 2023
- “Ranked Choice Voting in 2024: A year in review,” Fairvote
- “Ranked-Choice Voting Helped Mamdani Score a Decisive Primary Win,” NYTimes, Aug 4, 2025
- “They Wyoming Rule,” for increasing the size of the house so that everyone gets the same representation in the House of Representatives as the smallest district (e.g. Wyoming). On Wikipedia.
Related Episodes
- Ep 23 Refresh the American Brand, West Coast First? With Michael Megalli
- Ep 19 Could Roman Ruins Inspire West Coast Offense? (Solo)
If you want more voice, less noise in our politics, share this episode with a friend and your county elections board. Then hit “Follow” and leave a review—those signals help us reach reformers like you.