Press
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FairVote Applauds Introduction of FAIR Redistricting Reform Act
- Posted: June 24, 2009
- Categories: FairVote
FairVote's executive director Rob Richie today joined Congressmen John Tanner (D-TN), Mike Castle (R-DE), Allen Boyd (D-FL) and leaders with Americans for Redistricting Reform for a Capitol Hill news conference announcing a renewed push for The Fairness and Independence in Redistricting (FAIR) Act.
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New Jersey, Virginia and other States of Flux
- Posted: June 11, 2009
- Categories: FairVote, Innovative Analysis
The field is set for highly competitive gubernatorial elections this fall in Virginia and New Jersey. In handicapping the electoral prospects of the gubernatorial candidates, some of our smartest politicos are assuming that a state’s presidential results are a major indicator of who will lord over the statehouse. But looking at governors’ races through a presidential lens leads one into some dizzying territory where blue is red, red is blue, and the most conventional of wisdom dissolves in the face of indisputable data.
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Virginia Primary Turnout Up - But Still Low Despite National Profile
- Posted: June 10, 2009
- Categories: FairVote
Turnout in Tuesday's fiercely fought Democratic gubernatorial primary was only 6.3% of registered voters and about 5.5% of eligible voters. Despite big spending, media attention and the ability for voters of all political stripes to participate (due to Virginia's "semi-open" primary system), an overwhelming majority of active Democrats did not participate in their party's nomination for governor.
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Virginia Primary Winner May Not Have Majority Support Among State Dems
- Posted: June 5, 2009
- Categories: Instant Runoff Voting, FairVote
This Tuesday, June 9th, Virginia Democrats will hold a primary to nominate the candidate for governor that they hope will best reflect the will of the state party's voters. But with three strong candidates essentially tied in the polls, no candidate may come close to winning a majority. The instant runoff system backed by President Barack Obama and used on May 9th in Charlottesville in its "firehouse primary" would better determine which candidate best represents the will of Virginia Democrats.
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NJ Gubernatorial Primary Turnout Lowest in Years
- Posted: June 3, 2009
- Categories: FairVote
Voter turnout dropped to a shockingly low 10% of registered voters and less than 9% of eligible voters for New Jersey's gubernatorial primaries on Tuesday. Previous gubernatorial primary contests in 2001 and 2005 had already languished at 12% and 13% of registered voters, respectively, and Tuesday more than nine in ten eligible voters did not participate.
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E-Newsletter May 28, 2009
- Posted: May 28, 2009
- Categories: FairVote Reformer E-Newsletters, FairVote
Features:
- IRV Debuts in Two New Cities
- Youth Voting Measures Take Off in the States
- Voting Rights Events Coming in June
- National Popular Vote: Legislative Wins & Media
- Proportional Voting: Problem Solver
- In Memoriam
- More Highlights from the Past Month
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Get 'Em (Ready to Vote) While They're Young
- Posted: May 26, 2009
- Categories: Universal Voter Registration, FairVote, Fair Access to Participation, Innovative Analysis
As a key element in what is welcome progress toward universal voter registration, a movement is growing within the states to swing the doors of our democracy wide open, encouraging and facilitating the active participation of young people in the electoral process. From education, to access, to advance registration, more and more legislators and public officials are doing their part to invite young people into the process and kick start habits that can last a lifetime.
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Good Things Come to Those Who Rank
- Posted: May 14, 2009
- Categories: Instant Runoff Voting, FairVote, Innovative Analysis
Instant runoff voting is a ranked choice voting system that allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. Recommended by Robert's Rules of Order and used in a rapidly growing number of elections here and abroad, it represents a major improvement over the usual plurality-based and two-round systems of voting. It protects majority rule, eliminates the need for costly extra elections and all but eradicates the potential chaos of "spoiler" candidacies. But beyond its clearly established benefits, we are seeing anecdotal evidence that suggests that IRV has a positive effect on the influence of big money on elections, and mitigating the temptation for campaigns to "go negative."
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E-Newsletter April 30, 2009
- Posted: April 30, 2009
- Categories: FairVote Reformer E-Newsletters, National Popular Vote, Choice Voting/Proportional Representation, Proportional Voting, FairVote, Fair Access to Participation
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Michael Steele's RNC Win Helps Show how Instant Runoff Voting Works: Ranked voting methods abound in America culture
- Posted: February 5, 2009
- Categories: Instant Runoff Voting, Fair Elections, FairVote, Innovative Analysis
Advocates of ranked choice voting methods like instant runoff voting and the choice voting method of proportional representation often confront claims that their proposals are “exotic”, even “un-American.”