Dear FairVote Friends,
Although there seems to be some
uncertainty as to when it may come back, the General Assembly is now
taking a breather after the hectic days of June. I wanted to let you
know what action--both good and bad--was taken on FairVote's
legislative agenda, and how your donation now will be automatically doubled.
Best,
Matt Sledge
---
Rhode Island Director, FairVote
sledge@fairvote.org
401.429.6059
---
1. Donations doubled until July 4!
Through
July 4, 2009, any new donation will be doubled through a generous offer
from the national FairVote's board of directors. For more, see http://fairvote.org/donate.
It'd be hard to find a better way (fireworks and barbecues not
included) to celebrate the great American tradition of democracy. Thank
you!
2. Pre-registration approved by both chambers
Youth voter pre-registrationhas now been approved by both the RI Senate and House, for the fourth
year in a row! S 85, sponsored by Rhoda Perry, was approved by the RI
House late last Thursday night. Its house companion, H 5005, sponsored
by Rep. Pacheco, is still waiting for a vote over on the Senate floor,
but we're optimistic the vote will be taken soon.
3. Direct elections for Senate vacancies must still be "crossed over"
Last
Thursday the Senate Judiciary Committee also approved the House version
of a bill that would mandate direct elections for vacant US Senate
seats in our state. Once the Assembly gets going again, we hope for a
quick "cross-over" vote on the duplicate bills that have passed in both
the House and Senate in the opposite chambers, and the Senate Judiciary
vote is a great first start.
And fantastic news from Connecticut: Governor M. Jodi Rell, a
Republican, just signed into law a very similar measure requiring
elections for US Senate vacancies. In Rhode Island, of course, support
for the "Blago bill" has been broadly bipartisan, and we're hopeful
that Gov. Carcieri will join Governor Rell in supporting elections for
every US Senator.
In her official statement,
Governor Rell said "We are fortunate to live in a participatory
democracy, where our people do indeed have a voice in how they are
governed. This law is consistent with my long-held belief that we
should take every action possible to involve our citizens in their
government."
We couldn't have put it better ourselves.
4. National popular vote bill defeated
If passed the
national popular vote bill would have joined Rhode Island in a compact
already passed by five other states to directly elect the
president--instead it was voted down on the House floor on June 18. We
at FairVote, along with many others in the state who support the
legislation, were naturally disappointed by that outcome. But the RI
Senate previously approved an identical measure on a 26-9 vote, and the
same bill will be back next year. For good reason: 74% of Rhode
Islanders want a national popular vote for president.
Once enacted by states with a majority (270/538) of electoral votes,
the national popular vote bill will guarantee the presidency to whoever
wins the most votes in all 50 states and DC.
News from FairVote RI: Assembly Update and Donation Doubling
Your donations until July 4 will be doubled
|
National popular vote up in RI House today!
Contact your representatives in support
 UPDATE: The House voted the national popular vote down. This is a disappointment for us here at FairVote and for all our volunteers, but we thank you for your support. With your help the national popular vote will be up for discussion in Rhode Island again next year--and better than ever.----- Later today the RI House is expected to vote on the national popular vote bill (H 5569, sponsored by Rep. Lally). Using their exclusive control of presidential electors under the Constitution, five states have already enacted identical legislation, and once states with a majority in the Electoral College have signed on, we'll get a national popular vote for president. The bill won't go into effect until this happens. A national popular vote would make for significant improvements in Rhode Island's role during presidential elections. Under the winner-take-all system we have today, Rhode Island and most other states stop mattering the day their primary is over. Most Americans--more than 60%--don't live in the privileged handful of "swing states" that have an arbitrary, outsized influence on the election process. Those of us who live in "safe" states like Rhode Island are treated like second-class citizens; we're fit to contribute to presidential campaigns but not to receive meaningful attention from them. Rhode Islanders gave millions to presidential candidates this year--but neither of the big two visited the Ocean State after their party conventions. Minorities are particularly hard hit; millions of African-Americans live in safely "red" Southern states where their votes are mostly symbolic. Their lack of influence today is a much less pernicious reminder of one of the original purposes of the Electoral College, which was designed to give slave states electoral "credit" for the people they kept in bondage. As James Madison wrote,
the South "could have no influence in the election on the score of the
Negroes. The substitution of electors obviated this difficulty and
seemed on the whole to be liable to the fewest objections." Today, we
object. |
Sierra Club Rhode Island Backs National Popular Vote
Letter reaffirms national Sierra Club's position
 In a letter mailed and faxed on June 2, 2009, the Rhode Island Chapter of the Sierra Club reaffirmed its support of the national popular vote compact that has been introduced to the General Assembly.This year, the Sierra Club of Rhode Island, along with the national Sierra Club, will stand with you in support of an ational popular vote for president, along with 74% of Rhode Islanders. Please keep America moving towards its democratic ideal: one person, one vote. Click here for the PDF version of the letter. |