Open primaries give US reps some independence from party leaders . This lets the most central Republicans sometimes turn from their arch-conservative comrades and form a majority with the most central Democrats. That could happen much more often if congress used Condorcet's rule to enact policies. The more diverse a council is, the more solutions are offered for every question and the harder it is to build majority support for any 1 proposal. Condorcet's rule finds the top majority, the proposal that beats each of the others and is beaten by none, even when no coalition has a majority.
Voters have a real choice only when offered competing versions of a policy.
Initiatives are most appropriate for controlling elected officials by setting election rules such as voting rules, district boundaries, campaign funding and public disclosure laws, and by setting limits on terms, salaries, taxes, debt, and so on. Condorcet's rule offers voters several options when amending their constitution. One solution to the problem of social security's future solvency is to debate all proposals, rank them on preference ballots, and use Condorcet's rule to find out if 1 policy can beat each rival. This could focus the debate quickly on a few major proposals and compromises. Abortion is a complex ethical issue, but most proposed policies fall along a one-dimensional line with various restrictions added from left to right.