Presidential Elections

Every vote cast in every election should be of equal value, regardless of where a voter lives or for whom they vote. Popular will should never be subject to overturning by illogical, anachronistic mechanisms divorced from the ideal of one person, one vote. Nor should our system be such that candidates can win single-seat offices despite being opposed by the majority. Americans deserve a system in which all voices can be part of the debate without fear of "spoiling" an election; one that is transparent,  accountable and honors equality and majority rule.

Additionally, our presidential nomination process is breaking down. Chaos is the only constant -- with two states holding outsized influence, multi-candidate fields often producing no consensus winner, confusion over the roles of delegates and superdelegates, disparate rules from state to state, and states scrambling to "frontload" to the beginning of the calendar, clearly it is time to overhaul the presidential nomination system to make it more equitable, simple, and democratic.

 

 

2012 Presidential Primary Resources

FairVote has been analyzing and commenting on elections and presidential primaries in particular for two decades. This year FairVote has assembled key resources to understand this year's nomination contests.

Reforms and Solutions

There are a lot of alternative systems the parties could use to nominate their presidential contenders. Click the links to read about some that strive to make the process saner and allow more voters to be heard, including the FairVote-backed American Plan.

Recent Commentary

  • The 2012 GOP Nomination Contest Affirms Value of New Rules

    April 23, 2012

    As the 2012 Republican nomination contest effectively ends, FairVote reviews how the Republican Party's new nomination rules improved the process and proposes how to make both major parties can make it better in 2016.

  • Paul vs. Paul

    April 5, 2012

    Media attention in the 2012 Republican nomination contest is focused on the ace among Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, but it's also instructive to compare Paul to another candidate: himself, circa 2008.

  • Romney vs. Romney

    April 5, 2012

    Media attention in the Republican nomination contest is focused on this year's results for Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, and Rick Santorum. It's also informative to compare Romney to another candidate: himself, circa 2008.