Communications Intern
Maria Merkle is a rising senior at Fordham University studying Political Science, International Political Economy, and Communications. A DMV native, she found her passion for civic engagement in high school, when participating in DC’s protests. Maria is excited to return to DC to join the FairVote Communications team in spreading awareness of voting reform and the work that FairVote is doing to achieve it.
The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York is a tremendous step forward for state-led voting reforms, but it is just the beginning. Without comprehensive national voter protections, states must take initiative and write their own protections into law. We encourage state governments to adopt their own versions of the Voting Rights Act.
On Saturday, June 11th Alaska made history by using its new electoral system for the first time. It features a top-four plurality open primary and a ranked choice voting (RCV) general election.
What I could not prepare for was my candidate dropping out of the race in between the time that I mailed in my absentee ballot and my state’s primary date. Come election day, my vote was wasted.
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