http://www.fairvote.org/blog electoral reform & voting systems Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:04:59 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Today, FairVote released its third in a series of reports highlighting potential problems in swing states on Election Day. The newest report focuses on Colorado, a state that has been safely "red" in recent years and has only gone Democratic once since 1964 (Clinton won in 1992). Western states like ... http://www.fairvote.org/blog/2008/10/colorado-may-have-election-day-problems/ Felons don’t have the right to vote in most of the states considered “competitive” in the 2008 presidential race. In 3 of the most crucial battleground states – Florida, Virginia, and Nevada- most people convicted of felonies have many obstacles in regaining their voting rights. Yet, if these citizens could ... http://www.fairvote.org/blog/2008/10/felons-enfranchisement-could-alter-the-outcome-of-november-elections/ This is the fifth San Francisco election cycle with instant runoff voting (now generally called "ranked choice voting" in San Francisco, so I'll call it "RCV" in this opst). It can take time for political players to adapt to a new system and its incentives. In its first use in ... http://www.fairvote.org/blog/2008/10/instant-runoff-in-action-voter-choice-and-more-positive-campaigns/ A person who is deprived of freedom should not be deprived of his basic human rights. Yet in the US, in the last election, 4.7 million citizens were disenfranchised due to their status as felons or ex felons. In some states (Kentucky and Virginia), all felons, regardless of the nature of ... http://www.fairvote.org/blog/2008/09/criminal-disenfranchisement-us-still-lagging-behind/ On September 7, 2008, the New York Times published an article entitled "Voter Registration By Students Raises Cloud of Consequences" which details plans of many different states to punish college students for re-registering to their college campus. (To view this article click here) The Virginia Board of Elections has claimed ... http://www.fairvote.org/blog/2008/09/voter-registration-by-students-raises-cloud-of-consequences/ The Washington Post has a front page article today on its new poll in the tight presidential race in Virginia -- one that is newsworthy in showing Democrat Barack Obama leading Republican John McCain in a state that a Democrat hasn't carried since 1964. The Post highlights Obama's lead as 3% ... http://www.fairvote.org/blog/2008/09/lessons-from-the-posts-bizarre-coverage-of-virginia-prez-poll/ The National Association of Secretaries of State has decreed September National Voter Registration Month. Please make sure that you are registered to vote so that you may participate in this presidential election and all other elections happening this cycle. Their website provides information about the deadlines in all states for ... http://www.fairvote.org/blog/2008/09/national-voter-registration-month-september-2008/ www.Fivethirtyeight.com is reporting a 7.4% chance that the winner of the 2008 presidential election will lose the popular vote. History offers us similar odds: out of the 55 presidential elections that have taken place, 4 of them (7.3%) resulted in an electoral vote winner who lost the national popular vote. ... http://www.fairvote.org/blog/2008/09/1-in-14-chance-that-the-electoral-college-winner-will-lose-the-national-popular-vote/ Today, FairVote released its second in a series of reports surveying county election officials. This time we take a look at New Mexico, which is sure to be a key swing state this November. We found that the state does a good job of providing access for students, with polling ... http://www.fairvote.org/blog/2008/09/new-fairvote-report-gives-new-mexico-elections-mixed-review/ Today, FairVote released its first in a series of reports that seeks to shed light on the practices of county election officials responsible for running efficient elections this November. The report, ландшафт"Uniformity in Election Administration: A Survey of Swing State County Clerks--Missouri Edition," shows that many counties in Missouri are ... http://www.fairvote.org/blog/2008/08/new-study-missouri-may-experience-long-lines-in-november/