00:04The purpose of elections is to provide a system where the people have a sense of citizenship
00:12and belonging and a say in what is taking place.
00:18And as long as the majority of the citizens have a sense that their system produces something
00:25which gives a sense of equality and justice, then you're going to be in a good place.
00:29And what's been utterly clear in the United States is that that's not how people feel.
00:43Politics and elections are so messed up right now and at the core of it is an antiquated electoral system.
00:50Our government is failing to represent us, we the people.
00:53It's just been a really sobering realization that do people care about democracy?
00:58What scares me is the political violence.
01:00And there has to be a bravery of looking around and saying,
01:04do you know what, I think there might be parts of the world that do this better
01:07and we need to look closely at those systems.
01:10We think that going to the root cause of our challenges with democracy is important
01:15and that's what they've done here in Ireland.
01:21All of the poll findings indicated that the Irish people have a high rate of trust in democracy in the
01:27electoral process.
01:28It's the difference between majority rule and part sharing.
01:33Northern Ireland had been majority rule in its history and it had been disastrous.
01:37The real impact of proportional representation, it gives communities that are underrepresented more seats at the table
01:43and it gives communities that are overrepresented fewer seats at the table.
01:47And I think that's a very healthy thing.
01:49How many times have I knocked on a door and told someone, like,
01:52your vote matters, you need to participate,
01:56all the while thinking, it actually doesn't.
01:59I don't want to lie anymore.
02:00I do want everyone's vote to matter.
02:02I do want everyone's vote to matter.
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