The Nation Magazine editor’s Katrina vanden Heuvel has been a consistently clear, powerful voice for electoral reform. My hat is off to her for her terrific new call for action on electoral reform in the new Nation.

We’re of course pleased to see her feature our reform agenda: proportional representation, instant runoff voting, universal voter registration, a constitutional right to vote, fair, secure and accountable election administration and a national popular vote for president. But we know that more must be done for us to truly claim democracy.

232 years ago, our nation’s founders signed the Declaration of Independence establishing that we are all created equal and that governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed. In terms of representative democracy, those principles demand changes to our current rules. Vanden Heuvel is a true patriot — and it’s time for us to roll up our sleeves and get busy!

Other posts by Rob Richie

• Founding FairVote backer and Cincinnati legend Harris Weston dies - July 4th, 2009
• Sarah Palin's resignation to reduce women governors to six - July 3rd, 2009
• Delaware house votes 2 to 1 for National Popular Vote - 29th chamber in 18th state - June 24th, 2009
• Obama's political team: Expediency over principle in "working" Electoral College rather than reforming it - June 21st, 2009
• Special interests upset with instant runoff voting in San Francisco - and broader lessons - June 21st, 2009
• FairVote chair Krist Novoselic makes key point about rights of association in candidacy - June 17th, 2009
• Brennan Center's new report on universal registration joins FairVote in highlighting Canadian model - June 16th, 2009
• Instant runoff voting in Australia: Guest blogger Ben Raue - June 16th, 2009
• Washington, D.C. City council has chance to make D.C. a "beacon of democracy" - June 13th, 2009
• Slamdunk win in Minnesota Supreme Court highlights big week for instant runoff voting - June 12th, 2009