Last August FairVote argued that California's new Top Two "Open" Primaries system would be improved by ending its ban on counting write-in votes in the general election, as included in the legislature's implementing statute. The provision is now the subject of litigation.

An innovation in Internet voting seems to address problems with voter anonymity and privacy, but the potential for manipulation and subterfuge by hackers remains the fiberglass ceiling of online voting.

A redistricting map that avoids dividing communities and transgressing natural barriers has eluded Washington, D.C. By most accounts, a truly fair and agreeable plan of single-member districts is impossible due to uneven population growth among the District's wards. Proportional voting presents the best option for assuring fair representation to all residents -- not only in D.C. but in cities and counties across the country.