Reports
- 10 of 33 results
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Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act: A History and Analysis of Relevant Supreme Court Cases
- Posted: September 23, 2011
- Author(s): Pavel Sternberg
- Categories: Research & Analysis, All Reports
This report traces the history of the Voting Rights Act, from its origins in 1965 through its opposition and its continued renewal. Specifically, the report details how Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act requires those states covered under Section 5 to preclear all proposed voting changes, including redistricting efforts, with the Department of Justice before their enactment. The advent of the Voting Rights Act, specifically Section 5, has been instrumental in preventing states from making changes which could potentially discriminate against racial and ethnic minorities. Throughout the history of Section 5 cases before the Supreme Court, the Court has yet to rule Section 5 is invalid.
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Fuzzy Math: Wrong Way Reforms for Allocating Electoral College Votes
- Posted: September 16, 2011
- Author(s): Monideepa Talukdar, Robert Richie, and Ryan O'Donnell
- Categories: National Popular Vote, Research & Analysis, FairVote, All Reports
This updated analysis (first published in 2007) analyzes two of the three major options available to state leaders interested in reforming how a state allocates its Electoral College votes: the whole number proportional system and congressional district system. It evaluates them on the basis of whether they promote majority rule, make elections more nationally competitive, reduce incentives for partisan machinations and make all votes count equally. Our analysis reveals that both of these methods fail to meet our criteria and fall far short of the National Popular Vote plan, which is the third major option available to reformers.
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Legality of the Use of Ranked Choice Absentee Ballots for Military and Overseas Voters
- Posted: July 18, 2011
- Author(s): Cynthia Okechukwu
- Categories: Research & Analysis
Ranked choice absentee ballots provide a legal and practical solution to the disenfranchisement of military and overseas voters in runoff elections. These ballots enable U.S. citizens covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986 (UOCAVA) to cast votes when the ballot turnaround time between first and second elections is short.
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Redistricting Reform in the States: June 2010
- Posted: June 16, 2011
- Author(s): Patrick Withers, Billy Organek
- Categories: Research & Analysis, All Reports
FairVote's most recent review of redistricting reform in the states in 2009-2010 presents a mix of optimism and frustration for supporters of redistricting in the public interest rather than in the best interest of the political duopoly.
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Dubious Democracy 1982-2010
- Posted: May 31, 2011
- Categories: Research & Analysis, Congressional Elections, All Reports
Dubious Democracy 1982-2010 provides a comprehensive assessment of the level of competition and accuracy of representation in U.S. House elections in all 50 states from 1982 to 2010. It ranks each state on a "democracy index" that is a relative measurement based on average margin of victory, percentage of seats to votes, how many voters elect candidates and number of House races won by overwhelming landslides.
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Understanding the RCV Election Results in District 10
- Posted: November 23, 2010
- Categories: Instant Runoff Voting, Research & Analysis, All Reports
The Board of Supervisors race in District 10 was an unprecedented race in San Francisco’s seven-year history of using ranked choice voting (the first RCV elections took place in 2004). It featured 21 candidates, no incumbent and no obvious front runners. That resulted in an election in which the winning candidate, Malia Cohen, barely edged out the competition in an exceptionally close race.Given the parameters of this race, RCV functioned smoothly to produce a winner that was preferred by the most voters. It fostered a degree of coalition-building as candidates and voters used the ranked ballots effectively, and unlike other races this race was substantially free of negative, mudslinging attacks as the multi-candidate field focused on seeking the second and third rankings from the supporters of other candidates. -
Redistricting Reform in the States: June 2010
- Posted: June 24, 2010
- Author(s): Patrick Withers, Billy Organek
- Categories: Research & Analysis, Reforms, All Reports
FairVote's most recent review of redistricting reform in the states in 2009-2010 presents a mix of optimism and frustration for supporters of redistricting in the public interest rather than in the best interest of the political duopoly.
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Majority and Plurality in U.S. Gubernatorial Elections
- Posted: April 9, 2010
- Author(s): Daniel Weaver, Neal Suidan
- Categories: Home, Instant Runoff Voting, Research & Analysis, National Popular Vote, All Reports
From 1948 to 2009, 90.4 percent of all gubernatorial general elections nationwide were won with greater than 50 percent of the popular vote. None were won with less than 35 percent of all votes cast. Fifteen states elected all of their governors with a majority of votes cast. Among the other states, Maine had the most plurality-elected governors, with 7 of their 19 races in this span.
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International Snapshot: Japan 2009
- Posted: November 24, 2009
- Author(s): Rob Richie, Pauline Lejeune
- Categories: Research & Analysis, Proportional Voting, FairVote, All Reports
The Japanese parliamentary elections in August 30, 2009 marked a turning point in Japan’s political history. Since 1955, Japan has been dominated by one party, with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as the governing party for all but 11 months. But in these elections the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) defeated the LDP, winning 308 seats to 109 for the LDP in the 480-seat House of Representatives.
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Get 'Em (Ready to Vote) While They're Young
- Posted: May 26, 2009
- Author(s): David Segal, Paul Fidalgo
- Categories: Research & Analysis, Universal Voter Registration, FairVote, All Reports
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.