Choice Voting in the News

• Maryland Gerrymander Triggers Support for Fair Voting

  October 18, 2011

  The Maryland state senate today passed a proposed map for congressional redistricting that has been highly controversial for its gerrymandered district lines and disputes involving partisanship and race. State Senator Jamie Raskin, a constitutional law professor and former FairVote board member, made a well-received floor speech arguing that the best way to address the problem in the future was to put voters in charge over their representation. Raskin shared FairVote's plan for fair voting in super-districts with three and five members that would lead to nearly every voter being able to elect a favorite candidate. 

  FairVote is drawing such plans for all states in the nation. They could be established for congressional elections by repealing a 1967 law requiring winner-take-all districts.

  
  

  * Fair Voting Plan for Maryland

  * Baltimore Sun on Sen. Raskin's speech

  * The congressional map as passed state senate 

  * Example of Fair Voting plans for Ohio and North Carolina 

  * Commentary from FairVote's Rob Richie and Krist Novoselic

   

   

• California Win for National Popular Vote: FairVote Reforms on the Move

  August 8, 2011

  California Governor Jerry Brown today signed the National Popular Vote plan for president. Five years after FairVote joined with other reformers to launch the effort, it is halfway to enactment. It is law in states representing 49% of the electoral votes necessary to govern the next presidential election.

   

   

• “Arab Spring": Adoption of proportional representation key goal for reformers

  April 4, 2011

  The first months of 2011 will go down in history for the remarkable "Arab Spring" movement for democracy. Nonviolent protests by young men and women have led to a string of dictatorial regimes falling or are tottering, including Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen. Protests have been grounded in a basic drive for democracy and freedom, but as nations turn toward having their first truly democratic elections, the details of how to run fair elections are of immense importance.

   

   

   

• Port Chester's Historic Election Begins

  June 9, 2010

  On June 8th, the Village of Port Chester (NY) started early voting in New York's first-ever election with cumulative voting and first with in-person early voting. All six trustees on Port Chester's governing body will be elected, with Election Day on June 15. FairVote has supervised the Village's ambitious bi-lingual voter education campaign. 

• Voter Choice Reform Soars in UK, US

  May 5, 2010

  Close three-party election in the United Kingdom makes Instant Runoff Voting reform a much-discussed issue.

• Port Chester Will Use New Voting System

  March 9, 2010

  On June 15th, 2010 the Village of Port Chester, New York will become the first community in the state to elect its’ representative body through a semi-proportional system of elections known as “cumulative voting”. The village’s six seat Board of Trustees, as in the past, will be elected through an at-large election. Through cumulative voting, voters continue to have the same number of votes as seats, but will now have the freedom to distribute their votes as they please, including casting more than one vote for a favorite candidate.

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