Entries from June, 2010
- 6 of 6 results
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Sen. Byrd and Constitution Day
- Posted: June 28, 2010
- Author(s): Rebecca Guterman
- Categories: Learning Democracy
Senator Robert Byrd (D-W. Va) died at 92 this morning after being admitted to a Fairfax, VA hospital last week for heat exhaustion. Byrd, who was elected to serve a record-breaking nine consecutive terms in the Senate following three terms in the House, is remembered in the many obituaries that appeared today for his unwavering dedication to the needs of the people he represented.
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Debunking the Myths about Port Chester
- Posted: June 25, 2010
- Author(s): Alec Slatky
- Categories: Proportional Voting, Cumulative Voting
Port Chester's historic Board of Trustees election this past month has drawn national attention for its use of cumulative voting. But the amount of misinformation found in the media coverage is high, so FairVote would like to correct some of the most common fallacies.
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Primary Runoffs Show Need for Reform
- Posted: June 23, 2010
- Author(s): Alec Slatky
- Categories: Instant Runoff Voting
Everyone can agree that the higher the turnout, the better. But then why do we accept runoff elections where the winners often receive fewer votes than they did in the initial primary? There must be a better way...
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Drawn Into the Fray: Thinking Outside the Single Member District Box
- Posted: June 23, 2010
- Author(s): Patrick Withers
- Categories: Instant Runoff Voting, Proportional Voting
Since the foundation of our democracy, gerrymandering, or the strategic drawing of districts to somehow bias the electoral result, has been an important, albeit nefarious, component of American politics. It is common, especially in census years, for voters to rail against politicians on both sides of the aisle for using gerrymandering to secure their own party's power. While there is plenty of blame to go around, perhaps there is a larger problem lying underneath the surface. Perhaps the problem lies in the creation of single-member districts itself.
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Low Turnout, Voter Fatigue, and Patchwork Primaries
- Posted: June 10, 2010
- Author(s): Patrick Withers
- Categories: Instant Runoff Voting
Do marathon election seasons make for the best democracy possible? Voter turnout statistics seem to suggest no.
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Representation of Women in the Primaries
- Posted: June 10, 2010
- Author(s): Reshma Patil
- Categories: Home, Women's Representation
The GOP, The Grand Old Party, could be referred to as the men’s club. But women are slowly making their way into GOP ranks this primary season. But women are slowly making their way into GOP ranks this primary season. A number of Republican women ran well in the June 8 primaries, and several won their nominations or are favored in upcoming runoffs.