Entries from 2011

- 30 of 128 results

  • Redistricting Guide on FairVote Tools for Analysis and Mapping

    • Posted: August 3, 2012
    • Author(s): Joe Witte

    How much does it cost to participate in the redistricting process? Common software that politicians, political parties and lobbyists use for redistricting costs anywhere from $4,500 a year to a $7,000 one-time fee. At FairVote, we don't believe that participation in the redistricting process should be limited to those who can afford to spend thousands of dollars on software. We are proud to present you with our Redistricting Guide, which gives you a crash course in the free redistricting software we used to create our Monopoly Politics 2012 and Fair Voting 2012 reports.

     

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  • America's Young Voters: Who They Are and Why They Matter

    Young voters hold the key to the future of the country and are an important part of the electorate. Just like every other age group, they are frustrated with political officials. Yet despite this frustration, there has been a slight increase in youth voter turnout over the past few years. Even with the increase in turnout, young voters still vote at a lesser rate than voters of other age groups. It is a problem that needs to be addressed because the strength of our democracy depends on all voters participating.

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  • Portland’s Biggest Winner: Democracy with Ranked Choice Voting

    What shouldn’t be missed in the fray of post-election coverage in Maine is the glorious five minutes of pure democratic spirit that everyone experienced when the round-by-results results of the first ranked choice voting election for Portland's mayor were presented before everyone's eyes. In what other instance would you have every single candidate in the race, their supporters, the media, community members that were just curious, all in one room, waiting to hear the results? For those five minutes, there wasn't any politicking, just democracy in action.

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  • RCV Election Results: Portland and San Francisco

    Updated! This November, ranked choice voting (RCV) elections took place in six cities in the United States. Here is a visual breakdown of each ranked choice voting round in the San Francisco (CA) elections for Mayor, District Attorney and Sheriff and in the Portland (ME) mayoral election. In Portland, Michael Brennan led in the first round and was the strongest candidate in securing votes from backers of defeated candidates, winning with 56% when matched against his strongest opponent. In San Francisco, Interim Mayor Ed Lee led in the first round and also expanded his lead during the count, securing 60% of the final round tally.

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  • Cambridge, Massachusetts Election Results – November 2011

    FairVote often writes about ranked choice voting elections as they happen – indeed six cities voted with a ranked ballot this week. However, the history of choice voting in Cambridge, Massachusetts tells the tale of an American city that has successfully used this form of proportional voting to elect its city council and school committee officials for decades. Here are the recent election results for the city council and school committee races.

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  • Portland Mayoral Election: One-Day Survey Results

    FairVote conducted a one-day survey of 122 early voters on Thursday, November 3 participating in Portland's first mayoral election in nearly a century. The survey reveals that Portland voters find their new ranked choice ballot easy to use and have experienced a mayoral campaign that has promoted civic engagement.

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  • Remember Young People in Maryland's April Primary

    17-year-old primary voting is a great way to start getting young people involved in the political process. Unfortunately, many election and party officials do not promote it.

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  • Tunisians Hold Arab Spring’s First Vote

     

    The election is seen as a democratic success for new Tunisia, with some 4.1 million registered voters voting to select the members of the Constituent Assembly – using a method of proportional representation that ensured nearly every participant elected someone, and no one faction earned the winner-take-all power to dominate other factions.  Tunisians have fulfilled their duty peacefully and with great pride, whether in the capital or in provincial towns. European Union observers saluted the election’s “transparency.” Clearly, the strong desire of Tunisians to be governed by democratically elected authorities guided the electoral process.  

     

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  • Was the Iowa Caucuses’ Real Winner Not in the Race?

    Last night, as the numbers rolled in from Iowa, cable news shows pundits analyzed the numbers in almost every way humanly possible – with particular obsession with who was going to “win.” But the media just may have missed the biggest winner: a candidate who wasn’t seeking Iowa votes last night.

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  • The Ongoing Problem of Low Voter Turnout: Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia

    Tuesday November 8 was Election Day in Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia. Despite holding elections for both houses of the state legislature in New Jersey, Mississippi and Virginia and gubernatorial races in Kentucky and Mississippi, voter turnout was low, continuing the nation-wide pattern that was seen in other states who have held elections already this fall.

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