Entries Categorized with "Proportional Voting"
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Mitigating the Pernicious Effects of Gerrymandering in North Carolina: The Super-District Alternative
- Posted: July 29, 2011
- Author(s): Rob Richie, Jais Mehaji, Super Districts
- Categories: Home, Proportional Voting
North Carolina lawmakers have approved one of the nation’s most extreme partisan gerrymanders this year. Four of the state’s seven Democratic incumbents are clearly targeted for defeat. The new map reduces the number of the state’s 13 congressional districts carried by Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential race from eight to only three, with the remaining 10 district all ones where John McCain won at least 55% of the vote. But FairVote's proportional voting plan in super districts would create a level playing field for people of all parties and races.
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California: A Simulated Attempt at Super-Districts
- Posted: July 22, 2011
- Author(s): Jais Mehaji, Super Districts
- Categories: Choice Voting/Proportional Representation, Proportional Voting
Michael S. Latner and Kyle Roach from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo have written a thoughtful article on adopting proportional representation in California, based on a simulation-type analysis.
Their simulation deals with use of a proportional voting system to elect California’s 80 seat Assembly , echoing many of the points we have been making in our series of analyses of the value of the potential use of proportional voting in congressional elections in states such as Michigan and Louisiana. -
South Carolina: The Super District Alternative
- Posted: July 22, 2011
- Author(s): Jais Mehaji, Super Districts
- Categories: Choice Voting/Proportional Representation, Proportional Voting, Redistricting, Cumulative Voting
Redistricting ensures that political district lines reflect population changes in the U.S. Census every ten years so that each district has the same number of voters per seat in a district. South Carolina is in the midst of redistricting and, as with most states, it’s become complicated and increasingly controversial and partisan. As explained in our recent post on Michigan, FairVote proposes an alternative to the winner-take-all system that has plagued the redistricting process, and opened it up to gerrymandering, partisan bickering, and opportunism.
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Gerrymandering in Michigan and the Super District Remedy
- Posted: July 20, 2011
- Author(s): Rob Richie, Jais Mehaji, Super Districts
- Categories: Choice Voting/Proportional Representation, Redistricting, Proportional Voting
Controversies over redistricting in Michigan provide the latest evidence of the failure of winner-take-all, single member district rules. Winner-take-all elections inevitably represent many voters poorly and tempt partisans to gerrymander outcomes. The 1967 law mandating that states use them should be repealed so that states like Michigan can explore “super district” form of proportional voting to increase voter choice and fair outcomes.
FairVote's example of how super districts would work in Michigan show that every district easily can be made to be competitive and guarantee fair representation.
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Lebanon Discusses Adopting Proportional Representation
- Posted: July 19, 2011
- Author(s): Arab Spring Series, Jais Mehaji
- Categories: Proportional Voting
Though not undergoing the same kind of upheaval as in Tunisia, Egypt, or Syria, Lebanon has been experiencing some change from the Arab Spring movement. As true in all countries moving toward real elections, adoption of proportional representation voting systems is seen as a key goal.
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More on Egypt's Electoral Law
- Posted: July 18, 2011
- Author(s): Arab Spring Series, Jais Mehaji
- Categories: Proportional Voting
Progress toward democracy is looking all the more complicated in Egypt, as questions about the parliamentary elections’ rules remain unanswered and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces’ (SCAF) electoral measures are replete with ambiguity.
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Iowa’s Laudable Redistricting Process - and the Super District Alternative
- Posted: June 27, 2011
- Author(s): Jais Mehaji, Super Districts
- Categories: Choice Voting/Proportional Representation, Proportional Voting
Iowa quite justifiably has earned much praise for its redistricting process, a largely independent one driven by criteria that doesn’t include protection of incumbents or partisan gain. Nevertheless, a review of its elections and this year’s debate about redistricting still highlight the value of forms of proportional voting in a “super district” that puts voters in control of their representation rather than those drawing winner-take-all election lines, however independently those lines may be drawn.
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Egypt Inching its way down to Democracy
- Posted: June 16, 2011
- Author(s): Arab Spring Series, Jais Mehaji
- Categories: Research & Analysis, Choice Voting/Proportional Representation, Proportional Voting
Although the Arab Spring movement started in Tunisia, as I discussed earlier this week, the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt was the year’s most stunning development. As the most influential and populous nation in the Arab world, Egypt, both in times of war and peace, has often played a leadership role in the region. The political changes happening in Egypt will certainly reverberate strongly in the region. Now it is turning to the even-harder task of establishing an enduring democracy, which if successful, will set a standard for its neighbors.
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What We Can Learn from Puerto Rico
- Posted: June 15, 2011
- Author(s): Jais Mehaji
- Categories: Choice Voting/Proportional Representation, Proportional Voting
Yesterday, President Obama made a historic visit to the American territory of Puerto Rico; the first time a U.S president visited the island for an official state visit since JFK in 1961. Despite the fact that residents of Puerto Rico are U.S citizens and serve in the U.S. military in high percentages, they cannot vote in presidential general elections. President Obama’s visit to Puerto Rico provides an opportunity to consider its non-winner-take-all electoral rules that contribute to high turnout -- merit more national attention.
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Tunisia Moves towards Fair Elections
- Posted: June 13, 2011
- Author(s): Arab Spring Series, Jais Mehaji
- Categories: Reforms, Proportional Voting
This post examines the democratic prospects for post-revolutionary Tunisia, as its government delays election date to October.