FairVote acts to transform our elections to achieve secure access to participation for all, a full spectrum of meaningful ballot choices and majority rule with fair representation. As a catalyst for change, we build support for innovative strategies to win a constitutionally protected right to vote, universal voter registration, a national popular vote for president, instant runoff voting and proportional voting.
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Reform News
New from the Blog
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Romney vs. Romney
February 8, 2012The majority of media attention is (rightly so) on the current race between Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum, but it's also interesting and informative to compare Romney to another candidate: himself, circa 2008.
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Rule Breaker: The Florida Republican Primary, Winner-Take-All Allocation, and the Undoing of American Democracy
February 2, 2012When it comes to presidential elections, Florida has a penchant for controversy. The latest example comes via the 2012 GOP nomination battle: the Sunshine State has caused waves by violating RNC rules barring the use of winner-take-all allocation of delegates in pre-April contests. Winner-take-all is a highly undemocratic, broken system that marginalizes voters and shortchanges the primary process, and the GOP must prevent other states from following Florida's example.
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Presidential Tracker: New Evidence of our Shrinking Battleground
January 30, 2012President Obama's travel patterns over the past months have been leaning toward battleground and fundraising states. How does the whole of 2011 shape up? We summarize the past year and look at what is to come as the 2012 presidential election year comes into full swing.
FairVote: Your Primary Resource in 2012
// January 20, 2012
FairVote has been analyzing and commenting on elections in general and presidential primaries in particular for two decades. This year FairVote has assembled key resources to understand this year's nomination contests, with regular analysis on its blog and in published commentary. Don't miss these new reports and commentaries.
Delegate allocation rules in 2012 GOP race
Open, closed and mixed primaries, state-by-state This report details who is allowed to vote in every state holding a presidential or congressional primary this year.
South Carolina Primary: One Candidate May Easily Win All Delegates By Rob Richie and Elise Helgesen
South Carolina Voters Better Enjoy it While it Lasts by Katie Kelly and Rob Richie
RCV for the GOP: Mitt Romney, Fractured Conservatives, and the Importance of Rules by Sheahan Virgin
Understanding How Proportional Representation Worked in NH by FairVote
See visual portrayals of state-by-state GOP primary results & Romney 2008 vs. Romney 2012
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Research Highlights
FairVote Facts: Senate Vacancies
- Number of U.S. Senators appointed without election since the ratification of 17th Amendment: 182
- Number of U.S. House members ever to serve without election: 0
- Number of states that always fill U.S. Senate vacancies by election: 4
- Number of states that always fill U.S. House vacancies by election: 50
For more FairVote reports, visit the Research & Analysis section.
Federal Primary Runoff Elections and Voter Turnout Declines, 1994 - 2010
Many states currently use runoff election systems during primaries for statewide federal posts. However, it appears that the two election runoff system leads to high turnout declines and a less representative second election.
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Our Media
Featured Podcasts
Howard Dean on IRV--Howard Dean Discusses instant runoff voting on Radio Vermont's Mark Johnson Show.
John Anderson and the Redistricting Game--FairVote's former chairman helps unveil a new gerrymandering computer game, with an introduction from Rep. John Tanner.
The Slow Motion Stampede--FairVote's Rob Richie and Kentucky Secretary of State Tray Grayson talk about solutions to the broken presidential primary system on NPR's "All Things Considered."
Featured Video
A New Era of Electoral Reform - The 2010s and the 50-Year Cycle
