Elise Helgesen

Elise Helgesen is a Democracy Fellow specializing in legal issues. She is originally from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Elise graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2008 with a major in Government. This past May 2011, Elise earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law. At the University of Florida, Elise was Executive Articles Editor of the Journal of Law and Public Policy. Elise founded the UF chapter of the ACLU, and took part in the Gator TeamChild Juvenile Law Clinic and the Restoration of Civil Rights Project, among other activities. Before coming to FairVote, Elise interned for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, working on voting rights issues. She also interned for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

Content Authored by Elise Helgesen

1 - 8 of 8 results

  • Let’s Get Voter Registration Right – and Make it Universal

    Our broken voter registration system is a direct barrier to participation. In fact, if every single registered voter participated this November, we still would trail many nations in turnout. It won't take rocket science to ensure that every eligible voter is registered to vote and that all ineligible voters are not. It's time to make a national commitment to voting in the United States; doing so must include modernizing voter registration.

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  • South Carolina Primary: One Candidate May Easily Win All Delegates

    South Carolina's primary is on the horizon. Though the state has not played by the rules - and has been penalized by the Republican National Committee - the primary promises to be an exciting one. South Carolina's system of delegate allocation may potentially award all of the state's delegates, as well as a much-needed upswing in momentum, to the winning candidate as the race continues on toward Florida.

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  • The Role of Proportional Representation in the New Hampshire Primary

    Today New Hampshire will hold its primary. New Hampshire's 12 delegates are up for grabs. These delegates will be allocated proportionately, and not by a winner-take-all system of allocation.

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  • Down the Rabbit Hole of Party Primary Rules

    The time has almost come for all eyes to turn to Iowa and the rest of the states as they begin to hold their caucuses and primaries leading up to the 2012 election. But the world of primaries and caucuses is one of confusion, centering on party rules and overlapping state laws. My recent update of the Congressional and Presidential Primaries page on our website showed me just how complicated open, closed, semi-closed, and everything in between could be.

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  • Learning a Lesson from Egypt’s Universal Voter Registration

    Egypt recently began the process of electing members to its People's Assembly. Egypt's parliamentary elections provide an example for the United States worth taking note. Egypt uses a system of universal voter registration, which helped bring large numbers of voters to the polls. FairVote believes this type of universal voter registration would modernize and improve the type of voter registration in American elections.

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  • Response to “A rogue convention? How GOP party rules may surprise in 2012”

    Following up on our recent article in Politico, we share our thoughts about the 2012 Republican National Convention, a few points about Rule 38's unit rule and its implication on delegates' voting methods, and finally, our response to critics who say we have misinterpreted the rules.

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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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  • Shelby County v. Holder: Upholding Section 5 of Voting Rights Act

    This month, the D.C. district court upheld the validity of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, dealing a huge blow to Shelby County, Alabama, but ushering in a huge victory for Section 5 proponents. Section 5 of VRA requires states and localities covered by Section 5 to submit changes in law and practice to the Department of Justice or the District Court of the District of Columbia for “preclearance.” This preclearance process prevents changes that would weaken voting rights for racial minorities. The D.C. district court's decision struck down Shelby County's facial and as applied challenges to Section 5, finding that Section 5 was a valid remedy for discriminatory voting practices.

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