Episode #335
Change the Incentives, Change the Politics β DTH Episode 335 with Matt Koesters
Send Wilk a text with your feedback! (incoming msgs only - I can't reply) Matt Koesters didnβt come to electoral reform through theory. He came to it by watching it happen. As a reporter in southern Indiana, he covered a sheriffβs race where the winner needed just 37.7 percent of the vote, because the majority split its support between two candidates. The result reshaped local politics almost overnight. When a crowded 2016 presidential primary field divided support in much the same way, Matt recognized the pattern. Today Matt leads Fortify Democracy, an organization focused on the structural root causes of our political dysfunction. His premise is one Wilk has been circling for years: if the same bad outcomes keep showing up no matter whoβs in office, itβs worth asking what the system is rewarding. In this conversation, the two walk through how partisan primaries and pick-one voting shape candidate behavior, why so many Americans have quietly checked out, and what a better set of incentives could look like. Key Themes β’ Vote splitting isnβt a fluke. Itβs built in. Under plurality voting, a candidate with a consolidated base can beat several similar candidates who divide the majority between them. Matt traces the pattern from a county sheriffβs race to a presidential primary, where early wins came with pluralities in the 20s and 30s. β’ Pick-one voting drives the two-party system. Matt explains Duvergerβs Law and why most people use their single vote strategicallyβto stop the side they fear most rather than support the candidate they actually prefer. Wilk shares what that has looked like for him as a conservative voter who has repeatedly felt he was choosing the lesser of two evils. β’ Primaries reward the edges. With so many districts safely red or blue, the primary is often the real election. That means candidates cater to the most motivated voters, avoid crossing party leadership, and guard against getting outflanked. Matt compares the result to a pendulum that swings harder every cycle. β’ Negativity is a rational strategy under the current rules. When the general election is a binary choice, you donβt have to be good. You just have to be less disliked than the other candidate. That, Matt argues, is a big reason our political discourse feels the way it does. β’ Approval voting changes the math. Let voters choose as many candidates as they like, and whoever gets the most approval wins. Suddenly, attacking an opponent risks alienating voters who might have supported you both. Wilk connects this to a deeper point: when people fold politics into their identity, an attack on their candidate feels like an attack on them. β’ Checking out isnβt always apathy. Matt points to high numbers of Americans who identify as independents or want a viable third option, and argues that sitting out can be a rational response to a system that offers no real choice. Give people candidates who represent them and have a real path to winning, and they come back. Takeaways β’ When the same bad outcomes keep repeating, look at the system producing them, not just the people inside it. β’ Politicians respond to incentives. If we want candidates who build coalitions instead of tearing each other down, the rules have to reward that. β’ Walking away from politics isnβt always indifference. For many people, itβs a response to having no good options. β’ Solutions deserve as much attention as problems. Approval voting wonβt fix everything, but itβs worth understandingβand worth talking about with people who see politics differently than you do. About Matt Koesters Matt Koesters is the founder and president of Fortify Democracy, a Cincinnati-based organization he launched in 2025 to address the structural root causes of dysfunction in Americaβs electoral system. An award-winning former journalist, Matt covered local and state government and politics for daily newspapers before working in public affairs at the University of Cincinnati and in strategic communications at Rasor, a Cincinnati agency. Learn more about and connect with Matt Koesters: Website: https://www.fortifydemocracy.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fortify-democracy/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579298361939 X (Twitter): https://x.com/FortifyDmcrcy _____________________________________________________________________________________ AllSides Student Journalism Award application process is open now! AllSides, a national leader in balanced news and media bias ratings, is awarding three students with Five Hundred Dollars for reporting on all sides of an issue. It's open to any student in any type of school, grades K through 16. Deadline to submit is December 31st. Check it out at allsides.com/dth-award . The world is a better place if we are better people. Be grateful for all youβve got. Make every day the day that you want it to be! Please follow the DTH podcast on: Facebook , Instagram , Twitter(X) , YouTube , Substack Subscribe to us wherever you enjoy your audio or from our site. Please leave us a rating and feedback on Apple podcasts or other platforms. You can share your thoughts or request Wilk for a speaking engagement on our contact page: DerateTheHate.com/Contact The Derate The Hate podcast is proudly produced in collaboration with Braver Angels β Americaβs largest grassroots, cross-partisan organization working toward civic renewal and bridging partisan divides. Learn more: BraverAngels.org Welcome to the Derate The Hate Podcast! *The views expressed by Wilk, his guest hosts &/or guests on the Derate The Hate podcast are their own and should not be attributed to any organization they may otherwise be affiliated with.
