Tom Joseph advocates for reforming U.S. elections—specifically the candidate nomination process—to ensure voters get representatives who truly align with their priorities rather than those influenced by big donors, party insiders, media, or gerrymandering.
Tom Joseph is the founder and treasurer of America’s Main Street Party (mainstreetparty.org) a non-ideological political entity that uses technology and a "People’s Primary" system to nominate candidates for Congress. This approach aims to create a level playing field where:
Potential nominees compete through multi-round endorsements from constituents (ordinary voters), with endorsements serving as the sole "currency."
Wealth, political connections, outside money, and traditional party gatekeepers have no influence.
The system operates as a free and equal alternative primary, bypassing or supplementing existing party structures without requiring new legislation initially.
If the party achieves national status, the winner gains automatic ballot access in the general election.
The core idea is to achieve fairer elections by focusing on genuine representation of voters' values—addressing issues like gerrymandering, elite control over nominations, and the lack of accountability in the current two-party-dominated system. Joseph positions this as a way to reclaim government "of the people" through accountability and grassroots-driven selection, often highlighting how traditional primaries favor insiders over everyday citizens. This concept ties into broader discussions on election reform, such as defeating gerrymandering via new party mechanisms (as Joseph has written about in outlets like IVN) and creating alternatives to polarized, donor-driven politics.
