Institute for Political Innovation Inc. (IPI) is a voter advocacy organization that promotes the implementation of ranked choice voting, the elimination of party-primary nomination elections, and the establishment of the Legislative Machinery Innovation Commission that would overhaul the current design of the legislative branch of the United States. ^{1 2}

Founded in 2021, ³ the IPI claims that the American political system suffers from “toxic levels of unhealthy competition” ⁴ due to citizens not liking their voting choices and politicians not being incentivized to solve problems. ⁵

IPI’s founder and chair is Katherine Gehl, the former president and CEO of food manufacturing company Gehl Foods, which she sold in 2015. ⁶

Activities

Institute for Political Innovation (IPI) claims that the American political system suffers from “toxic levels of unhealthy competition” ⁷ due to citizens not liking their voting choices and politicians not being incentivized to solve problems. As a solution, IPI proposes a collective “re-engineering” of U.S. elections and lawmaking system through “Final-Five Voting” and “Zero-Based Rule Making.” ⁸

Final-Five Voting

Final-Five Voting would replace party-primary elections with a universal ballot including all primary candidates. All voters would be allowed to vote in the new primaries. It would also introduce ranked choice voting, where voters would rank candidates in order of most to least preferred. The victor would be decided by a tabulation of which candidate received a majority of the voters. It is called “Final-Five” because the final ballots for the general election would have five different candidates to choose from, rather than two. ⁹

Zero-Based Rule Making

Zero-based rule making intends to replace “the bloated and outdated rules, practices, and norms of lawmaking” with a “modern approach” that would redesign the legislative branch at the local, state, and federal levels. It intends to remove many of the unwritten rules and norms in the House and Senate. It would start each budget period at “zero,” analyze the needs and costs of each function and allocate the budget accordingly. It would also create the Legislative Machinery Innovation Commission, an “independent and nonpartisan” entity that would redesign the current legislative branch of the United States. It would base its new design on the goal of making representatives “more accountable and responsive to our demands.” ¹⁰

Finances

On its 2021 990 Tax Form, the IPI listed its total revenue at $4,208,073, total expenses at $3,802,404, and total assets at $417,684. ¹¹ That same year it received grants from several non-profits including the Christian Community Foundation of Memphis and the Mid-South Inc. ¹² and the Schwab Charitable Fund. ¹³ The IPI also appears to have a sister 501(c)(4) organization, the IPI Action Fund, which is listed under the same address as IPI. ¹⁴ In 2021, the IPI Action Fund received a $500,000 grant from activist non-profit funding organization Patriot Republic for the purpose of “structural reform.” ¹⁵

Leadership

Katherine Gehl is the founder and chairman of the Institute for Political Innovation. She is the author of The Politics Industry which she wrote with Harvard Business School professor Michael E. Porter. She founded the Institute to advocate for the implementation of many of the ideas put forward in the book. ¹⁶

Katherine is the former president and CEO of Gehl Foods, a Wisconsin-based food manufacturing company. In 2014, the company reported $250 million in sales. ¹⁷ She sold the company in 2015 and turned to political advocacy. She sits on the boards of United America, Business for America, and New America. She serves as the honorary co-chair of the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers (NANR). In 2018, Katherine co-founded Democracy Found, an initiative that advocates for the implementation of Final-Five Voting in Wisconsin. ¹⁸

1. “Final-Five Voting.” The Institute for Political Innovation. Accessed February 12, 2023. https://political-innovation.org/final-five-voting/.
2. “Zero-Based Rule Making.” The Institute for Political Innovation. Accessed February 12, 2023. https://political-innovation.org/zero-basedrulemaking/.
3. IRS Determination Letter: INSTITUTE FOR POLITICAL INNOVATION INC. 2021. Accessed June 9, 2023.
4. The Institute for Political Innovation. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://political-innovation.org/
5. The Institute for Political Innovation. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://political-innovation.org/
6. “Katherine Gehl.” The Institute for Political Innovation. Accessed February 12, 2023. https://political-innovation.org/staff/katherine-gehl/.
7. The Institute for Political Innovation. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://political-innovation.org/
8. The Institute for Political Innovation. Accessed February 23, 2023. https://political-innovation.org/
9. “Final-Five Voting.” The Institute for Political Innovation. Accessed February 12, 2023. https://political-innovation.org/final-five-voting/.
10. “Zero-Based Rule Making.” The Institute for Political Innovation. Accessed February 12, 2023. https://political-innovation.org/zero-basedrulemaking/.
11. Institute for Political Innovation Inc. Return of a Private Foundation (Form 990). 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/845104658/202223199349311462/full
12. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Christian Community Foundation of Memphis and the Mid-South Inc. 2021. Schedule I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/621752885/202330589349301073/IRS990ScheduleI
13. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Schwab Charitable Fund. Schedule I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/311640316/202330939349300403/IRS990ScheduleI
14. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Institute for Political Innovation Inc. Schedule R. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/845104658/202223199349311462/IRS990ScheduleR
15. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Patriot Republic. Schedule I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/831589303/202212759349300006/IRS990ScheduleI
16. “Katherine Gehl.” The Institute for Political Innovation. Accessed February 12, 2023. https://political-innovation.org/staff/katherine-gehl/
17. Gehl Foods acquired by Wind Point Partners. BusinessWire, March 15, 2015. Accessed February 12, 2023. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150327005095/en/Gehl-Foods-acquired-by-Wind-Point-Partners.
18. “Katherine Gehl.” The Institute for Political Innovation. Accessed February 12, 2023. https://political-innovation.org/staff/katherine-gehl/.