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FairVote Reformer January 2012
- Posted: January 31, 2012
- Categories: FairVote Reformer E-Newsletters, Home, FairVote
Welcome to 2012! It's a big election year, and there's no shortage of elections to track and reform ideas to explain. We're the nation's go-to resource when it comes to big thinking about election reform - certainly there's rarely been a better time for out-of-the-box approaches to stand up for American votes and our democracy. This issue features: Fair Vote 20th Anniversary- and a Salute to John Anderson, Your Primary Resource: 2012 Election Marathon Underway, Fair Voting Plans for Congress: There is a better way, 84th Academy Awards Showcase Ranked Choice Voting, Question of the Month
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FairVote Reformer December 16, 2011
- Posted: December 16, 2011
- Categories: Home, FairVote Reformer E-Newsletters
What 2011 says about the 2012 elections
As we come to the end of 2011, it's a time to reflect on what we've learned about democracy this year -- and what it means for the 2012 elections and beyond.
What we've learned is that Americans are upset with their government.
Americans hunger for more choices, but have fewer meaningful ones on Election Day than ever. They worry about special interest money pouring into politics, but it only keeps rising. They care about the right to vote, but face new restistrictions in many states that are sure to dampen participation.
That's the downside. The positive news is that change is coming. Consider these highlights:
- Six cities had ranked choice voting ("IRV") elections this November, with voters being able to rank candidates in order of choice without fear of "spoiling" elections.
- Two more states approved the National Popular Vote plan for president: our biggest (California) and one of our smallest (Vermont).
- Proportional voting had a big year internationally, including being adopted by most Arab nations moving toward democracy. I
- Legislation to establish a constitutional right to vote has 48 sponsors.
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SAN FRANCISCO VOTERS EFFECTIVELY USED RANKED CHOICE VOTING
- Posted: November 9, 2011
- Categories: Home, Instant Runoff Voting, FairVote, Ranked Choice Voting in Bay Area Elections
Tuesday, November 8, San Francisco held Rank Choice Voting elections for mayor, sheriff, and district attorney. FairVote has analyzed public electronic ballot images and results of the elections. Almost all ballots cast were valid, and many voters ranked more than one candidate, indicating that San Francisco voters understand RCV.
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Portland Mayoral Election: One-Day Survey Results
- Posted: November 7, 2011
- Categories: Home
FairVote, a non-profit, non-partisan election reform and research organization based in Takoma Park (MD), conducted a one-day survey of 122 early voters on Thursday, November 3 participating in Portland's first mayoral election in nearly a century. The survey reveals that Portland voters find their new ranked choice ballot easy to use and have experienced a mayoral campaign that has promoted civic engagement.
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Everything You Wanted to Know about Election Recounts
- Posted: April 28, 2011
- Categories: Fair Elections, Research & Analysis, National Popular Vote
The Center for Voting and Democracy today released its new report on statewide recounts as the state of Wisconsin launches a statewide recount in a hotly contested election for a seat on its state supreme court. A Survey and Analysis of Statewide Election Recounts, 2000-2009 is available online, along with detailed data compiled for the report. Read on to see the key findings from the report.
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The FairVote Reformer: February 2011
- Posted: February 14, 2011
- Categories: Home, FairVote Reformer E-Newsletters, FairVote
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Instant Runoff Voting for Best Picture: What you need to know
- Posted: February 2, 2011
- Author(s): Fairvote Intern Team
- Categories: Home, Instant Runoff Voting, FairVote
With nominations for the 2010 Academy Awards announced on January 25, Academy voters will soon begin sending in their final ballots for tabulation. Journalists covering the awards should be aware of the use of Instant Runoff Voting (also called “preferential voting”) to select the winner of the Best Picture category. -
NC Court of Appeals Instant Runoff Election Results
- Posted: December 21, 2010
- Categories: Instant Runoff Voting
In an election that saw the first-ever use of instant runoff voting (IRV) in a statewide election in North Carolina, Doug McCullough has defeated Cressie Thigpen for a seat on the NC Court of Appeals by 50.3% to 49.7% in the instant runoff. With 13 candidates running for the position, the election would have posed a challenge for any electoral system. Using IRV, voters expressed their preferences among the available candidates and the candidate with the most popular support was elected.
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House Seat Apportionment: Media Gets It Wrong on Partisan Impact
- Posted: December 20, 2010
- Author(s): Rob Richie
- Categories: Research & Analysis, Reports, Innovative Analysis
On Tuesday, December 21, the U.S. Census released the official population numbers for states from its count earlier this year. The most immediate impact will be on apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. In this installment of FairVote's Innovative Analysis series, Rob Richie explains how some pundits and journalists have gotten it wrong in their analysis of the partisan impact of the census numbers.
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Cumberland County Instant Runoff Election Results
- Posted: December 6, 2010
- Categories: Instant Runoff Voting
In a closely contested election featuring the use of Instant Runoff Voting (IRV), Claire Hill has defeated Robert Hasty, Jr. in the race for the District 12A North Carolina Superior Court seat in Cumberland County. This important election is among the first in North Carolina history in which IRV has been used. Here are some key facts about the election.