Entries from 2011
- 128 of 128 results
-
Richie's May 3rd Democracy Minute
- Posted: May 3, 2011
- Author(s): Right to Vote Blog, Tom Sanchez, Rob Richie
- Categories: FairVote, Richie's Democracy Minute
Richie's Democracy Minute for May 3rd looks at news from Canada's federal election, the upcoming alternative vote referendum in the United Kingdom, recounts and redistricting.
-
Richie's May 5th Democracy Minute: Pluralities, Majorities and Fair Representation
- Posted: May 5, 2011
- Author(s): Rob Richie
- Categories: FairVote, Richie's Democracy Minute
Fair voting according to cats (video) .... The impact of plurality rules versus majority rules ....California Top Two race on Tuesday reverses first-round outcome – a more democratic result that won’t be possible in Sept. 13th special election for U.S. House in Nevada. ..UK to vote for regional and local government with non winner-take-all voting methods, and could change method of election for House of Commons. ..Canadian elections remain under microscope. .. Redistricting and recount wars continue.
-
Florida: Flashpoint in the Debate about Voter Fraud
- Posted: May 3, 2011
- Author(s): Dean Searcy
- Categories: Home, FairVote
Florida has joined Texas, Wisconsin, South Carolina, and Indiana among states either passing or seriously considering requiring a government-issued photo ID to be presented whenever any individual votes. Florida's House Bill 1355 and Senate Bill 2086 would: require all voters to present a government issued ID at the polls, mandate the use of provisional ballots if an eligible voter moves to another county, tighten rules on voter registration groups, and shortening the validity of voter signatures on citizen initiatives.
-
Does BBC mean "Bow Before Cameron" on AV?
- Posted: April 25, 2011
- Author(s): Rob Richie
- Categories: Instant Runoff Voting, Home, Europe, Elections Worldwide
On May 5th, British voters will participate in their second-ever national referendum, deciding whether to replace plurality voting for House of Commons elections with the alternative vote (AV). The referendum outcome remains up in the air, but we already know two losers: prime minister David Cameron, who has shown he cannot be trusted, and the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), the famed news source.
-
Parity law adopted in Tunisia
- Posted: April 21, 2011
- Author(s): Arab Spring Series, Wael Abdel Hamid
- Categories: Home, Middle East and Africa, FairVote, Elections Worldwide
After the political revolution that struck their country earlier this year, Tunisians are now experiencing a genuine revolution of the mind. In an earlier blog post, I worried about the length of time the Tunisian interim government was taking to implement key measures .However, recent developments have eased my fears considerably.
-
Presidential Visits: Current Electoral College Rules Distort Attention
- Posted: April 20, 2011
- Author(s): Presidential Tracker, Rob Richie, Matt Morris
- Categories: Home, Presidential Tracker, National Popular Vote
Wonder why you never get to see the President? One reason may be that you don't live in a swing state. We know that presidential candidates concentrate their general election time and resources in the few states that can make or break their election. But it turns out that it's not so different once they get elected; a disproportionate amount of time is spent in those same states. One solution to this problem would be the National Popular Vote plan for president.
-
Voting: A Right, A Privilege, or A Responsibility?
- Posted: April 20, 2011
- Author(s): Right to Vote Blog, Dean Searcy
- Categories: Home, Right to Vote Amendment, FairVote
When Americans talk about their democracy, they typically emphasize the importance of the right to vote. But the fact is that, unlike other democratic rights protected in the First Amendment, voting rights do not have clear constitutional protections. State legislatures have the right to appoint electors in presidential races without holding elections, for example, and states can enact a variety of policies that directly or indirectly infringe on suffrage rights. While strengthening voting rights in the Constitution would seem like a logical step, there's a potential political barrier: confusion about the meaning of "right."
-
Louisiana Redistricting: A Better Method
- Posted: April 18, 2011
- Author(s): Dean Searcy, Rob Richie, Super Districts
- Categories: Home, Fair Voting/Proportional Representation, FairVote
Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal is about to sign legislation establishing a redistricting plan that distorts partisan representation, breaks up natural communities, underrepresents racial minorities and creates largely noncompetitive races. Super districts with two three-member districts and a non-winner-take-all voting systemn would dramatically boost fair representation and give all voters competitive choice.
-
The Right to Vote: The case of the people of our nation’s capital
- Posted: April 14, 2011
- Author(s): Right to Vote Blog, Jo McKeegan
- Categories: Home, D.C. Voting Rights, Right to Vote Amendment, FairVote
Although the District has a delegate in the U.S. House (Eleanor Holmes Norton) who can propose legislation and serve on committee, she does not have voting rights in Congress. The District lacks even a delegate in the U.S. Senate, even though Congress can veto any bill passed by the District and often considers “riders’ on bills that would change laws governing the residents of the District – a classic case of “taxation without representation.”
-
Virginia Redistricting: Part II
- Posted: April 13, 2011
- Author(s): Rob Richie, Matt Morris
- Categories: Home
The Virginia State legislature also must re-draw their district lines to reflect census data. See how many more voters would have competitive choice and fair representation with multi-member districts and proportional voting.