Truck driver Edward Durr made headlines in November by defeating the Democratic leader of the New Jersey state senate after only spending $1,813 on his campaign. His only purchases? Flyers and donuts. This was an example of a broader trend in American elections generally and the New Jersey state elections specifically: partisanship is becoming one of the only factors that matters.

From March 8 to 10, RepresentWomen hosted its inaugural Solutions Summit. The three day virtual gathering featured experts and leaders who are all working in election administration, voting rights, and democracy reform, including ranked choice voting (RCV).

Across the country, ranked choice voting (RCV) is reducing the chances of vote splitting and encouraging women and people of color to run for office, regardless of whether other women or people of color are in the race. With RCV, nobody has to “wait their turn” (a common reason women cite about delaying or even making their decision to run.) During Women’s History Month we’re highlighting the achievements of women who have won RCV elections across America. We’re excited to celebrate a few of the many women who have been elected with RCV to serve their communities and hopefully inspire even more women to run.

Today (On, March 8, 2022), people across the world are celebrating International Women’s Day, commemorating the accomplishments of women past, present, and future. Here at FairVote, we are taking this opportunity to additionally emphasize how proportional representation around the world has benefited and allowed women to reach their natural potential, without being told to ‘wait their turn’.

The Voting Rights Act is intrinsically linked to the events surrounding Bloody Sunday, what preceded them, and what we as a nation should have learned from them. As time passes and as the efforts to repair the Act do not, we risk losing the lessons of Selma and the statutory activation of the 15th Amendment.

On Monday, February 28, 2022, FairVote hosted a webinar entitled ‘How We Will Win in 2022’. It was moderated by David Daley, who is a FairVote senior fellow; Angela Kouters, the Director of Government Affairs; Brian Cannon, the Director of Advocacy; Deb Otis, the Senior Research Analyst; and Rob Richie, CEO and President of FairVote.

On Thursday, February 24th, FairVote hosted ‘The Future of Voting Reform for Black Voters,’ a Twitter space moderated by FairVote’s Executive Vice President of Policy and Programs Khalid Pitts.

In the fight for ranked choice voting (RCV), college and university campuses are a great place to get the conversation started. Implementing ranked choice voting in on-campus elections can teach students how to properly cast informed ballots and, by extension, boost civic engagement. As the advocacy intern at FairVote, one of my major projects is persuading student leaders on college campuses in Michigan to make the switch to ranked choice voting for student body elections.

FairVote shared the following statements on Tennessee’s misguided decision limiting local rule and prohibiting cities like Memphis from trying ranked choice voting in their municipal elections.

In politics, as in life, we often need friends and allies to make progress on our goals. That clarity of mind is needed now as Americans face significant challenges as a nation. FairVote is doing our part to bring people together so we can talk about our possible paths forward out of difficulty.