How to fix America’s two-party problem

Imagine a Congress where politicians of different ideologies work together to pass legislation reflecting what most Americans want.

This isn’t hypothetical; it’s how Congress worked for much of the 20th century. There were only two major parties, but each was much more ideologically diverse than today, so deal-making and coalition politics were the norm. From Social Security to civil rights to immigration and environmental protection, Congress got big things done.

That’s not where we are now. In 2025, American politics is stuck.

Voters see little but chaos as Congress lurches from one self-imposed crisis to the next. Incumbents get elected over and over, and yet parties fail to pass meaningful legislation on the things that matter most to Americans.

It doesn’t have to be this way. To escape our two-party trap, we need a better system of electing people to Congress: proportional representation.

Jesse Wegman and Lee Drutman, The New York Times. Mr. Wegman is a member of the Times editorial board, where he writes about democracy, law and politics. Mr. Drutman is a senior fellow at New America and the author of “Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America.”