fbpx
Wikipedia

FairVote

December 14, 2023

FairVote, formerly the Center for Voting and Democracy, is a 501(c)(3) organization that advocates electoral reform in the United States.[3]

FairVote
FormationJune 1992; 31 years ago (1992-06) (as Citizens for Proportional Representation)
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Type501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
PurposePromoting electoral reform in the United States
HeadquartersSilver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
President and CEO
Robert Richie[1]
Revenue
$4.3 million (2019)[2]
Staff
32[2]
Websitefairvote.org
Formerly called
The Center for Voting and Democracy, Citizens for Proportional Representation

Founded in 1992 as Citizens for Proportional Representation to support the implementation of proportional representation in American elections, the organization in 1993 became the Center for Voting and Democracy and in 2004 changed its name to FairVote to reflect its support of such proposals as instant-runoff voting (IRV), for single and multi-winner elections, a national popular vote for president, a right-to-vote amendment to the Constitution, and universal voter registration.[4][5] FairVote releases regular publications on the state of the U.S. electoral system, including Dubious Democracy[6] and Monopoly Politics.[7]

Notable members of FairVote's board of directors have included its past chairs, former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic and former Congressman and 1980 independent presidential candidate John Anderson.

About edit

Founding edit

FairVote was founded as Citizens for Proportional Representation (CPR) in 1992 in Cincinnati, Ohio, by a diverse group of scholars, grassroots activists, civic leaders, and politicians.[8]

The result of a merger of several smaller groups promoting proportional representation reform into a single, nationalized advocacy group. Early leaders included Robert Richie as executive director, Matthew Cossolotto as president and Steven Hill as western regional director. John Anderson was head of its national advisory board and in 1992 published a New York Times commentary advocating IRV in presidential elections.[9] The CPR ended its founding year operating in Alexandria, Virginia, with around 200 members.

Board of Directors, 2023[10][needs update]
Dr. Danielle Allen, Chair
Donald Marron, Vice Chair
Mark de la Iglesia, Secretary
Dr. Purnima Chawla
Tim Hayes
David Wilner
Jake Sandler
Chi Kim

History and timeline edit

 
Logo used from 2016 to 2022

Since its founding, FairVote has expanded its reach and expressed its platforms to both the public and all levels of government through campaigns, blogs, newsletters, lobbying, interviews, amicus curiae briefs, and numerous media outlets. Notable events include:

  • 1992: Ted Berry, the first African-American mayor of Cincinnati, conducts a welcoming speech at the CPR opening convention. Berry was a firm supporter of proportional representation and fought in the 1980s and 1990s to reinstate the practice in Cincinnati after its repeal in 1957.[11]
  • 1993: Citizens for Proportional Representation changes its name to the Center for Voting and Democracy to reflect support of other reforms, such as IRV and universal voter registration. The Center for Voting and Democracy relocates to Washington, D.C.[12]
  • 1994: Robert Richie appears on national radio to explain a federal judge's ruling that cumulative voting be used to settle a voting rights case in Cane vs. Worcester County, M.D.[13] The Center for Voting and Democracy releases the first Dubious Democracy, its biannual report on the state of democracy in congressional elections.[14]
  • 1996: Steven Hill runs the first campaign for electoral system reform in the US for several decades, a voter initiative to pass preference voting (proportional representation) in San Francisco. The campaign loses, 54-46%, but sets the stage for future victories.[15]
  • 1997: The Center releases Monopoly Politics, a report on the undemocratic elements of the single winner plurality system.[16] The center's news conference is filmed on C-SPAN, and Rob Richie's opinion appears in The New York Times.[17]
  • 1999: IRV for statewide elections passes in the New Mexico State Senate.[18]
  • 2002: Led by western regional director Steven Hill, San Francisco becomes the first major city to pass a voter initiative, 54-46%, to adopt IRV for certain citywide elections[19]
  • 2002: Steven Hill's book Fixing Elections: the Failure of American's Winner Take All Elections[20] is published, making the case for electoral system reform in the United States.
  • 2004: San Francisco becomes the first city since Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1975 to use IRV in public elections, after suing recalcitrant city officials to compel compliance with the law.
  • 2005: Arkansas institutes IRV for overseas military voters[21]
  • 2006: South Carolina institutes IRV for military and overseas voters and Oakland and Minneapolis pass it for city elections[22]
  • 2007: Maryland becomes the first state to pass the National Popular Vote plan for president[23]
  • 2010: Oakland, Berkeley and San Leandro, California, all use IRV for the first time to elect local offices.[24]
  • 2012: Robert Richie writes for The Huffington Post supporting a national popular vote for president[25]
  • 2013: Robert Richie coauthors the fourth edition of Every Vote Equal, a book explaining and supporting the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact[26]
  • 2014: New York lawmakers pass a national popular vote bill that will award the state's electoral votes to the candidate who receives the majority of the popular vote[27]
  • 2015: FairVote co-hosts with the Washington College of Law a "Democracy Slam" with NBC's Chuck Todd and other leading journalists and professors, with its key reforms receiving high ratings.[28]
  • 2016: Maine becomes the first state to adopt IRV statewide, with FairVote and FairVote Maine arm involved in the campaign.[29]
  • 2017: Congressman Don Beyer introduces the Fair Representation Act at an event organized by FairVote. FairVote New Mexico wins a lawsuit to keep Santa Fe on track to implement RCV in 2018.[30][31]
  • 2018: Maine voters uphold RCV for congressional and primary elections, and Utah passes a law enabling cities to use RCV, with two cities opting to do so in 2019.[32]
  • 2019: New York City adopts RCV, and the Democratic National Committee approves use of RCV ballots in five party-run presidential primaries and caucuses in 2020.[33]
  • 2020: The state of Alaska and six cities pass ballot measures on RCV.[34]
  • 2022: Nevada voters approve a ballot measure to adopt RCV statewide. As a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment, it must pass again in 2024 to take effect.[35]
  • 2023: Oregon's legislature refers a statewide ranked choice voting measure to the 2024 ballot.[36]

FairVote is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Mission edit

The stated mission of FairVote is "a nonpartisan champion of electoral reforms that give voters greater choice, a stronger voice, and a representative democracy that works for all Americans."[37]

FairVote concentrates its efforts on electoral reform in the United States through research, education, outreach, and support of policies that foster equal representation and greater transparency within the electoral administration.[38]

The organization's projects fall into three broad categories: fair access to participation, fair elections, and fair representation. To that end, it sponsors programs like the Democracy Secretary of State (SoS) Project, which scrutinizes practices obstructing the voting process while proposing solutions to hold electoral officials accountable for their actions. The Promote Our Vote project focuses on local ideas to spur participation.[39][40]

Members of FairVote regularly write blogs, provide commentary in interviews, and offer internships for interested youth.[41]

Public perception edit

General coverage edit

FairVote has been covered by many major news outlets, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, and NPR, which tend to call it a nonpartisan voting rights advocacy group.[42][43][44] Other commonly used terms include: "voting rights organization",[45] "election reform advocacy group",[46][47] "national reform organization",[48] and "election participation and reform group".[49] The Denver Post referred to the group as "election-protection campaigners".[50]

Alleged liberal bias edit

In his New York Times profile of FairVote co-founder Steven Hill, Scott James called FairVote a "left-wing group".[51] Other writers have claimed that many FairVote policies, such as IRV, are popular in "liberal enclaves"[52] and supported by "populist groups" such as Common Cause, an advocacy organization,[53] and thus give the group a liberal tilt.[54] Louis Jacobson, a writer for Roll Call, argues that any group supporting the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact will be perceived as liberal-leaning because of Democratic frustration with the Electoral College after the 2000 US presidential election.[55] But Rob Richie, FairVote's president, has said, "[FairVote] is definitely not a Democratic stalking horse".[56] In addition, FairVote points to John Anderson, who was president of the organization's first advisory board and a current member of the Board of Directors, who ran for president as an Independent in 1980. In fact, before Anderson ran for president, he was a Republican Congressman from Illinois.

Proposed reforms edit

Released in 2013, Reform 2020 is a set of four major reform goals[57][58]

Electoral procedure edit

FairVote advocates the use of instant-runoff voting (IRV) in single-winner elections.[59] Under this system, voters rank candidates in order of preference, in contrast to the more widely used plurality voting system. FairVote has spread the term "ranked-choice voting" (RCV) in the United States to describe single transferable vote and instant-runoff voting; the organization opposes Condorcet electoral systems, which are also ranked-choice voting systems.

In 2002, FairVote backed a San Francisco ballot initiative amending Section 13.102 of the city charter to allow IRV in local elections.[60][61][62] The city began using IRV to elect local officials on November 2, 2004.[60] Subsequent ballot initiatives supported by FairVote have allowed the use of IRV in cities including Takoma Park, Maryland;[63] Minneapolis, Minnesota;[64][65] Oakland, California;[66] Portland, Maine;[67][68] Portland, Oregon;[69] Seattle, Washington;[70] New York, New York;[71] San Leandro, California;[72] St. Paul, Minnesota;[73] Springfield, Illinois;[74] Telluride, Colorado;[75] and Santa Fe, New Mexico.[76]

FairVote supports modification of state laws governing the Electoral College so that the president is elected by national popular vote.[77] It advocates the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact,[78] an agreement among states and the District of Columbia to award their electoral votes to the candidate with the highest popular vote total in all 50 states and DC.[79] FairVote has played an active role in lobbying state officials to join the compact. New York Assemblyman Fred Thiele said he first proposed New York's entrance into the compact after FairVote approached him.[80]

FairVote advocates the use of proportional representation (which it calls "fair representation voting") in multi-seat assembly and council elections throughout the U.S.[81] In this system, each candidate or party controls a share of seats equal to its share of the vote. The organization has proposed combining several congressional districts into one to allow for proportional representation in the United States Congress,[82] as well as in the California and Michigan state assemblies.[83][84] It advocates for several PR systems, including STV (which it also calls "Ranked Choice Voting"),[85] cumulative voting,[86] unordered open list ("Open Ticket Voting"),[87] SNTV ("Single-Vote Method"),[86] and MMP ("Districts Plus").[88]

Voting rights edit

FairVote has backed the proposed Right to Vote Amendment (House Joint Resolution 44), sponsored by Representatives Mark Pocan and Keith Ellison, under which citizens would be guaranteed a constitutional right to vote.[89] FairVote filed a policy brief in support of the legislation, writing, "We believe that the right to vote is a cornerstone of representative democracy that depends upon broadly defined voter eligibility, universal voter access to the polls, and election integrity."[90] FairVote has also advocated universal voter registration, a system in which all citizens of legal voting age would be registered to vote automatically.[91]

Research and reports edit

Election research edit

FairVote has conducted research on both presidential and Congressional elections. Most of its presidential election research focuses on the electoral college's effects on campaigning. In its 2012 Presidential Election analysis, FairVote documented the large disparity in both time and money spent in swing states (e.g., Florida) versus safe states (e.g., Maryland).[92] In addition, FairVote has begun publishing data on how much time sitting presidents spend in swing states.[93]

FairVote releases two main documents of Congressional research every election cycle. The first is "Monopoly Politics", which contains predictions and analysis for each race.[94] FairVote first categorizes each seat according to its competitiveness; seats are labeled Safe Democratic, Likely Democratic, Lean Democratic, Toss Up, Lean Republican, Likely Republican, or Safe Republican.[92] Relatedly, FairVote gives each district a partisanship ranking derived from previous elections. FairVote then predicts what percentage of the vote candidates will receive. Lastly, the research tries to predict incumbent winning percentages for the election cycle. For example, FairVote expects incumbents to do 4.5% better in 2014 than they did in 2012.[95]

The second major document is "Dubious Democracy", an assessment of Congressional elections' fairness.[96] By aggregating Congressional race data since 1982, the research attempts to highlight several elements of Congressional elections—the ratio of competitive to noncompetitive districts, the effects of gerrymandering, and voter turnout—that FairVote believes hurt the democratic process. In the report, every Congressional race is placed on a scale of competitiveness, from Tight (<5% margin of victory) to No Contest (>40% margin of victory), and the percentage of races within each category is tracked over time. In addition, the research tracks voter turnout and wasted votes over time. Lastly, the report follows the success of incumbents in winning reelection over time.[97]

In addition to Monopoly Politics and Dubious Democracy, after the 2010 midterm elections FairVote released data on the effect of third-party and spoiler candidates. The report found that there were many districts in which the winning candidate did not receive a majority of the vote, a fact the group finds problematic. In addition, the research highlighted races in which Independents garnered a sizable percentage of the vote.[98]

Finally, FairVote created Representation 2020, a project that hopes to achieve parity in the numbers of men and women serving in elected office.[99] The project has three main goals: institutionalizing changes in party rules to recruit and train more women to run for office, creating family-friendly legislative schedules, and replacing single-member districts with multi-member districts with proportional representation.[100][101] Representation2020 has since become a separate nonprofit called RepresentWomen; it is still closely aligned with FairVote.[102]

Voting rights edit

FairVote has created two projects that aim to expand and protect voting rights in the United States. The first, Promote Our Vote, tries to provide support and resources for groups focused on expanding voting rights. The group provides electoral research, legal analysis, and communications assistance. In addition, Promote Our Vote creates support for a constitutional right to vote amendment by building up support at the local level, focusing mainly on college campuses.[103][104]

The second project is Democracy SoS, which aims to familiarize voters with the important role of state-level Secretary of State officials.[105] To that end, the project has issued reports on state election preparedness, interviewed state election officials, and published voter guides that focus on election reform policies. The project also hopes to popularize its candidate surveys, which include questions about election planning and election integrity.[106]

Involvement in court cases edit

FairVote has participated in a number of recent court cases as amici curiae to advance fair representation voting, particularly under the California and federal Voting Rights Act.[107] Notable recent cases in which it has been involved include:

Sanchez v. City of Modesto (2007) edit

Sanchez v. City of Modesto (2007) dealt with the constitutionality of the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA).[108]

After the California Superior Court of Stanislaus County declared the CVRA unconstitutional in favor of the City of Modesto, plaintiffs Enrique Sanchez, Emma Pinedo and Salvador Vera appealed to the Fifth Appellate District of the Court of Appeal of California.[108]

Along with Kathay Feng from the organization California Common Cause, FairVote submitted an amicus curiae brief in favor of the plaintiffs.[109]

FairVote argued that winner-take-all at-large voting systems caused "vote dilutions in jurisdictions affected by racially polarized voting, even where minority voters cannot form a majority in a single member district."[110]

Supporting the CVRA, FairVote viewed the law requiring courts to "fashion effective remedies to cure vote dilution affecting smaller and dispersed minority populations."[111]

Asserting that the CVRA allows California to become more representative of the people, FairVote concluded that the CVRA was an important and constitutional piece of government reform.[112] The Court of Appeal applied rational basis review to CVRA and declared the law constitutional, reversing the lower court's decision.[108]

United States v. Village of Port Chester (2008) edit

In December 2006, the United States Department of Justice alleged that Port Chester's at-large system of electing its board of trustees violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The US government claimed that the at-large electoral system denied the Hispanic population "an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choice."[113]

In United States v. Village of Port Chester (2008), US District Judge Stephen Robinson of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a decision that the Village's election system violated the Voting Rights Act and ordered remedial plans from all parties.[113]

The Defendants of the case, the Village of Port Chester, proposed cumulative voting as a remedy, which "allows citizens to cast multiple votes for a given candidate for a given seat."[114]

In 2007, the Brennan Center, representing FairVote as amicus curiae, submitted a brief supporting cumulative voting as a remedy, but also proposing another system known as "choice voting", a process of ranking candidates.[114] FairVote argued that "cumulative and choice voting avoid the necessity for deliberately drawing districts along racial lines" and that a winner-take-all system would not allow the Hispanic minority population to gain representation.[115]

FairVote also argued that cumulative voting is appropriate under the Voting Rights Act, as it "ensures the equal principle of "one-person, one vote"", is race-neutral, and that it is supported by case law and history.[116] On November 6, 2009, the Court did not accept choice voting but accepted Port Chester's remedy of cumulative voting. On June 16, 2010, Port Chester elected its first Latino to the Board of Trustees.[114]

Minnesota Voters Alliance v. City of Minneapolis (2009) edit

FairVote Minnesota is an independent ally of FairVote.[117][118]

FairVote Minnesota, siding with the City of Minneapolis, served as intervenor-respondent in Minnesota Voters Alliance v. City of Minneapolis, a case that was attested at the Minnesota Supreme Court.[119]

Minnesota Voters Alliance v. City of Minneapolis dealt with the constitutionality of IRV, which was adopted by the City of Minneapolis for its municipal elections.[120]

Minnesota Voters Alliance, a nonprofit organization that served as the appellants, argued that the "method violates their right to vote, to associate for political purposes, and to equal protection under both the United States and the Minnesota Constitutions".

Siding with the city, FairVote Minnesota stated that instant-runoff voting (IRV) is a form of RCV that allows voters to rank multiple candidates on a single ballot.[121] They argued that this form of voting has legitimate policy reasons, such as simplifying the election process, saving money, increasing voter turnout, ensuring more diverse representation, and promoting civil election campaigns.[122]

In its defense of the City of Minneapolis, FairVote argued that the appellants bore a "heavy burden of persuasion" because they brought a facial challenge to IRV's constitutionality[123] and that "Minneapolis IRV is constitutional because it is supported by legitimate interests, imposes no burden on the right to vote, and applies to all voters".[124]

The Court affirmed the lower district court's ruling that IRV does not infringe on the appellants' constitutional rights, thus rejecting the Minnesota Voters Alliance's challenge to IRV.[120] After the result, Jeanne Massey, executive director of FairVote Minnesota, applauded the decision and said that the Court "blazed a path that every community in our state can follow toward better elections and a stronger democracy" and that the decision was "a resounding endorsement of ranked choice voting".[125]

Jauregi v. City of Palmdale (2014) edit

Juan Jauregui, the plaintiff, filed a complaint in April 2012 alleging that Palmdale's at-large method of electing members to its City Council resulted in vote dilution for Latino and African American residents.[126]

The lawsuit claimed that Palmdale's at-large method denied minority residents effective political participation and thus violated the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA).[126] The case was brought up to Judge Mooney of the Superior Court of the State of California in the County of Los Angeles. In July 2013, Mooney declared that the CVRA vested the court in implementing appropriate remedies in favor of the plaintiffs.[127]

The City of Palmdale immediately appealed the decision, reasoning that in 2001 Palmdale residents voted for an at-large election system.[128] The case reached the California Court of Appeal in the Second Appellate District.

In January 2014, FairVote submitted an amicus curiae brief in support of the plaintiffs.[129]

FairVote argued that fair representation voting, unlike at-large systems, enhanced minority groups to elect at least one candidate of their choice.[130] FairVote advocated for a number of alternative methods, such as ranked choice voting, single voting, and cumulative voting.[131] The City of Palmdale opposed FairVote's participation, arguing that the amicus brief "threatens significant prejudice to the City", as it would continue to delay the certification of the city's November 2013 election.[132] The California Court of Appeal denied FairVote's application to file as amicus curiae.[107]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ . FairVote. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  2. ^ a b "IRS Form 990". FairVote. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Who We Are". FairVote. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  4. ^ "PR Web Sites". Mount Holyoke College. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  5. ^ "Reforms". FairVote. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  6. ^ "Dubious Democracy". FairVote. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  7. ^ "Monopoly Politics 2014". FairVote. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  8. ^ Poundstone, William (2008). Gaming the vote : why elections aren't fair (and what we can do about it) (1st ed.). New York: Hill and Wang. pp. 262. ISBN 978-0809048939. citizens for proportional representation founded 1992.
  9. ^ "Celebrating 10 Years of Seeking Fair Elections! A Special Anniversary Edition". FairVote. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  10. ^ "OUR TEAM". FairVote. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  11. ^ Laugle, Laura. "Proportional Representation in Cincinnati". University of Cincinnati. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  12. ^ "Celebrating 10 Years of Seeking Fair Elections!". FairVote. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  13. ^ "Cane v. Worcester County, M.D." Leagle. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  14. ^ "Dubious Democracy". FairVote. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  15. ^ "What's Your Preference? - October 23, 1996". SF Weekly. 1996-10-23. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  16. ^ Cook, Charles. "New Study Identifies 75 Seats That Should Be In Play for '98 Election". Roll Call. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  17. ^ Richie, Rob (7 July 1997). "First, Reform Constitutional Convention Rules". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  18. ^ . 2001. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  19. ^ "Where Instant Runoff Voting Is Used". FairVote. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  20. ^ "FIXING ELECTIONS: THE FAILURE OF AMERICA'S WINNER-TAKE-ALL POLITICS by Steven Hill". www.fixingelections.org. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  21. ^ "IRV Bills Move Ahead". Ballot Access. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  22. ^ "BIG GAINS FOR INSTANT-RUNOFF VOTING IN VERMONT, SOUTH CAROLINA AND ALABAMA". Ballot Access. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  23. ^ . FairVote. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  24. ^ "Oakland IRV: Yes on Measure O!". archive.fairvote.org. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  25. ^ Richie, Rob (6 September 2012). "The Nonpartisan Case for National Popular Vote: Al Gore, not GOP Platform, Gets It Right". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  26. ^ Koza, John (December 2006). Every Vote Equal. Los Altos, CA: National Popular Vote Press. ISBN 978-0-9790107-0-5.
  27. ^ "NY lawmakers approve 'National Popular Vote' bill". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  28. ^ "Democracy Slam 2015". Event Mobi. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  29. ^ "Maine Ranked Choice Voting Initiative, Question 5 (2016)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  30. ^ "Beyer Introduces Fair Representation Act To Reform Congressional Elections". Beyer.House.Gov. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  31. ^ "Santa Fe ordered to implement ranked-choice voting". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  32. ^ "2018 Program Highlights". FairVote. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  33. ^ "2019 Message to Supporters". FairVote. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  34. ^ "End of Year 2020". FairVote. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  35. ^ Clyde, Don (November 13, 2022). "Nevada voters back big changes to their election system". NPR. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  36. ^ "Oregon becomes the latest state to put ranked choice voting on the ballot". NBC News. 2023-06-27. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  37. ^ "About FairVote". FairVote. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  38. ^ "Research & Analysis". FairVote. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  39. ^ "Democracy SOS Project". FairVote. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  40. ^ "Engaging Millennials: Changing How We Vote and How We Organize". New York University. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  41. ^ "FairVote: The Center for Voting and Democracy". Tufts University. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  42. ^ Segal, David (January 24, 2009). "Don't Name That Senator". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  43. ^ Urbina, Ian (July 21, 2008). "Influx of New Voters Expected to Test New Technology". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  44. ^ Anderson, John (September 28, 2007). "Let The Most Popular Candidate Win". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  45. ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer (August 11, 2007). "States Try To Alter How Presidents Are Elected". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  46. ^ Judkis, Maura (March 3, 2014). "Republic's live music events begin March 9 with Krist Novoselic". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  47. ^ Levien, Andrea (November 29, 2013). "In Va. Politics, The Glass Ceiling Has Few Cracks". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  48. ^ Shin, Annys (November 3, 2013). "Takoma Park 16-year-old Savors His History Making Moment at the Polls". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  49. ^ Khadaroo, Stacy (January 6, 2012). "The Ron Paul Effect". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  50. ^ Fender, Jessica (October 14, 2008). "Cracking the CoDA: Liberal Web Effective". The Denver Post. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  51. ^ James, Scott (October 6, 2011). "A Critical Spotlight Shines on Ranked Choice Voting". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  52. ^ Brandt, Steve (November 20, 2010). "New Voting Not As Simple As 1-2-3". The Minneapolis Star Tribune. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  53. ^ Common Cause
  54. ^ Avlon, John (March 7, 2006). "The Fight for Redistricting Reform". The New York Sun. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  55. ^ "Electoral Vote Reform: Is It An Idea Whose Time Has Come?". Roll Cal. May 10, 2006. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  56. ^ "Rob Richie on the Election Process". C-SPAN. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  57. ^ . Bethesda Gazette. Archived from the original on 22 April 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  58. ^ "Our Goals". Reform 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  59. ^ "FairVote.org | Instant Runoff Voting/Ranked Voting".
  60. ^ a b "San Francisco Successfully Uses Ranked Choice Voting For Citywide Elections, Nov. 2005". Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  61. ^ . Archived from the original on 2014-04-09. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  62. ^ "American Legal Publishing — Online Library".
  63. ^ Richie, Rob (2014). "FairVote Survey Shows Support for Takoma Park Voting Reforms". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  64. ^ . Archived from the original on 2014-04-23. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  65. ^ . Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2014-04-23. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  66. ^ "Oakland IRV: Yes on Measure O!".
  67. ^ "PortlandVotes123 – Home".
  68. ^ "Portland returns to electing its mayor | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram". 3 November 2010.
  69. ^ "How ranked-choice voting works | Portland.gov". www.portland.gov. 2023-05-04. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  70. ^ "Seattle, Washington, Proposition 1A and 1B, Approval Voting Initiative and Ranked-Choice Voting Measure (November 2022)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  71. ^ "Ranked choice voting | NYC Board of Elections". vote.nyc. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  72. ^ Katz-Lacabe, Mike (20 January 2010). "City Council Approves Ranked Choice Voting — Election is Nov. 2, 2010" (Web). Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  73. ^ Melo, Frederick (5 November 2011). "For St. Paul's ranked-choice voting, it's showtime". St. Paul Pioneer Press (Minnesota). Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  74. ^ "Illinois General Assembly – Full Text of SB0439". 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  75. ^ Valenti, Jimy (2011). "Ranked voting will be on the ballot in Fort Collins". Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  76. ^ "Santa Fe, New Mexico, Amendment 5, Ranked-Choice Voting Measure (March 2008)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  77. ^ "FairVote.org | National Popular Vote".
  78. ^ "What is the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact?".
  79. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-10.
  80. ^ "N.Y. Lawmakers Aim To Curb Electoral College". The New York Sun. 31 July 2006. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  81. ^ "Fair Voting/Proportional Representation".
  82. ^ Richie, Rob; McCarthy, Devin (18 Oct 2013). "Rebuilding the 'big tent'" (Web). The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  83. ^ (PDF). FairVote. Archived from the original (Web) on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  84. ^ (PDF). FairVote. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  85. ^ FairVote.org. "How RCV Works". FairVote. Retrieved 2019-02-09. Note that when used to elect a multiple candidates to office, ranked choice voting is a form of fair representation voting, and it may be called single transferable vote or STV.
  86. ^ a b "Other Fair Representation Voting Methods". FairVote. Retrieved 2019-02-09. This winner-take-all method can easily be made into a fair representation voting method by extending cumulative voting rights to the voters.
  87. ^ FairVote.org. "Open Ticket Voting". FairVote. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  88. ^ FairVote.org. "Districts Plus". FairVote. Retrieved 2019-02-09. Districts Plus is a candidate-based form of voting known internationally as mixed-member proportional representation, or "MMP."
  89. ^ "Pocan and Ellison Announce Right to Vote Amendment" (Web). 13 May 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  90. ^ Hailey, Mollie (24 June 2013). (PDF). FairVote Policy Perspective. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  91. ^ "Why Universal Registration?". FairVote. 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  92. ^ a b Carroll, Susan (December 2013). Gender and Elections. Cambridge University Press. p. 114. ISBN 9781107026049.
  93. ^ "Presidential Tracker". FairVote. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  94. ^ . MSNBC. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  95. ^ "Monopoly Politics 2014 Projections". FairVote. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  96. ^ "Dubious Democracy 1982-2010". FairVote. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  97. ^ "FairVote's "Dubious Democracy" report about United States House of Representatives elections". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  98. ^ . FairVote. Archived from the original on 9 April 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  99. ^ "Forum On the State of Women's Representation". New York University. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  100. ^ "Looking At Gender Parity". CSPAN. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  101. ^ Moyers, Bill (11 March 2014). "Why Does the US Still Have So Few Women In Office?". Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  102. ^ Representation2020.com. "Frequently Asked Questions". RepresentWomen. Retrieved 2019-07-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  103. ^ "US Needs Amendment To Protect Voting Rights For All". 25 September 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  104. ^ . The Right to Be Heard. Archived from the original on 22 April 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  105. ^ . State Innovation. Archived from the original on 22 April 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  106. ^ "Introducing Democracy SoS". 7 February 2008. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  107. ^ a b "Fairvote's Brief on Fair Representation Voting in Palmdale Case". FairVote. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  108. ^ a b c "Sanchez v. City of Modesto". LexisNexis Academic. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  109. ^ "Brief of Amici Curiae California Common Cause and Fairvote in Support of Plaintiffs-Appellants — page 1" (PDF). California Common Cause and Fairvote. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  110. ^ "Brief of Amici Curiae California Common Cause and Fairvote in Support of Plaintiffs-Appellants — page 4" (PDF). California Common Cause and Fairvote. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  111. ^ "Brief of Amici Curiae California Common Cause and Fairvote in Support of Plaintiffs-Appellants — page 14" (PDF). California Common Cause and Fairvote. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  112. ^ "Brief of Amici Curiae California Common Cause and Fairvote in Support of Plaintiffs-Appellants — page 34" (PDF). California Common Cause and Fairvote. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  113. ^ a b "United States v. Village of Port Chester (2008)". LexisNexis Academic. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  114. ^ a b c "United States v. Village of Port Chester". Brennan Center for Justice. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  115. ^ "Brief of Amicus Curiae in United States of America v. Village of Port Chester" (PDF). FairVote. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  116. ^ "Brief of Amicus Curiae in United States of America v. Village of Port Chester Page 11, 12, & 13" (PDF). FairVote. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  117. ^ . FairVote. Archived from the original on 22 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  118. ^ "Help FairVote MN's Ranked Choice Voting Video Win Thousands of Dollars For Fairer Elections!". FairVote. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  119. ^ "Hennepin County Minnesota Voters Alliance, et al., vs. The City of Minneapolis" (PDF). Minnesota Supreme Court. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  120. ^ a b "Hennepin County Minnesota Voters Alliance, et al., vs. The City of Minneapolis — Page 2" (PDF). Minnesota Supreme Court. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  121. ^ "Brief of Intervenor-Respondent in Minnesota Voters Alliance v. City of Minneapolis — Page 1" (PDF). FairVote Minnesota. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  122. ^ "Brief of Intervenor-Respondent in Minnesota Voters Alliance v. City of Minneapolis — Page 9 & 11" (PDF). FairVote Minnesota. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  123. ^ "Brief of Intervenor-Respondent in Minnesota Voters Alliance v. City of Minneapolis — Page 12" (PDF). FairVote Minnesota. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  124. ^ "Brief of Intervenor-Respondent in Minnesota Voters Alliance v. City of Minneapolis — Page 17" (PDF). FairVote Minnesota. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  125. ^ . FairVote Minnesota. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  126. ^ a b "R. Rex Parris Joins Voting Rights Lawsuit Against Palmdale". GlobeNewswire. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  127. ^ "Juan Juaregi v. City of Palmdale Statement and Decision" (PDF). Superior Court of the State of California County of Los Angeles, Central District. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  128. ^ . City of Palmdale. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  129. ^ (PDF). FairVote. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  130. ^ (PDF). FairVote. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  131. ^ (PDF). FairVote. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  132. ^ (PDF). City of Palmdale. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2014.

December 14, 2023
fairvote, this, article, contains, text, that, written, promotional, tone, please, help, improve, removing, promotional, language, inappropriate, external, links, adding, encyclopedic, text, written, from, neutral, point, view, july, 2023, learn, when, remove,. This article contains text that is written in a promotional tone Please help improve it by removing promotional language and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic text written from a neutral point of view July 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message FairVote formerly the Center for Voting and Democracy is a 501 c 3 organization that advocates electoral reform in the United States 3 FairVoteFormationJune 1992 31 years ago 1992 06 as Citizens for Proportional Representation Cincinnati Ohio U S Type501 c 3 nonprofit organizationPurposePromoting electoral reform in the United StatesHeadquartersSilver Spring Maryland U S President and CEORobert Richie 1 Revenue 4 3 million 2019 2 Staff32 2 Websitefairvote wbr orgFormerly calledThe Center for Voting and Democracy Citizens for Proportional RepresentationFounded in 1992 as Citizens for Proportional Representation to support the implementation of proportional representation in American elections the organization in 1993 became the Center for Voting and Democracy and in 2004 changed its name to FairVote to reflect its support of such proposals as instant runoff voting IRV for single and multi winner elections a national popular vote for president a right to vote amendment to the Constitution and universal voter registration 4 5 FairVote releases regular publications on the state of the U S electoral system including Dubious Democracy 6 and Monopoly Politics 7 Notable members of FairVote s board of directors have included its past chairs former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic and former Congressman and 1980 independent presidential candidate John Anderson Contents 1 About 1 1 Founding 1 2 History and timeline 1 3 Mission 2 Public perception 2 1 General coverage 2 2 Alleged liberal bias 3 Proposed reforms 3 1 Electoral procedure 3 2 Voting rights 4 Research and reports 4 1 Election research 4 2 Voting rights 5 Involvement in court cases 5 1 Sanchez v City of Modesto 2007 5 2 United States v Village of Port Chester 2008 5 3 Minnesota Voters Alliance v City of Minneapolis 2009 5 4 Jauregi v City of Palmdale 2014 6 See also 7 ReferencesAbout editFounding edit FairVote was founded as Citizens for Proportional Representation CPR in 1992 in Cincinnati Ohio by a diverse group of scholars grassroots activists civic leaders and politicians 8 The result of a merger of several smaller groups promoting proportional representation reform into a single nationalized advocacy group Early leaders included Robert Richie as executive director Matthew Cossolotto as president and Steven Hill as western regional director John Anderson was head of its national advisory board and in 1992 published a New York Times commentary advocating IRV in presidential elections 9 The CPR ended its founding year operating in Alexandria Virginia with around 200 members Board of Directors 2023 10 needs update Dr Danielle Allen ChairDonald Marron Vice ChairMark de la Iglesia SecretaryDr Purnima ChawlaTim HayesDavid WilnerJake SandlerChi KimHistory and timeline edit nbsp Logo used from 2016 to 2022Since its founding FairVote has expanded its reach and expressed its platforms to both the public and all levels of government through campaigns blogs newsletters lobbying interviews amicus curiae briefs and numerous media outlets Notable events include 1992 Ted Berry the first African American mayor of Cincinnati conducts a welcoming speech at the CPR opening convention Berry was a firm supporter of proportional representation and fought in the 1980s and 1990s to reinstate the practice in Cincinnati after its repeal in 1957 11 1993 Citizens for Proportional Representation changes its name to the Center for Voting and Democracy to reflect support of other reforms such as IRV and universal voter registration The Center for Voting and Democracy relocates to Washington D C 12 1994 Robert Richie appears on national radio to explain a federal judge s ruling that cumulative voting be used to settle a voting rights case in Cane vs Worcester County M D 13 The Center for Voting and Democracy releases the first Dubious Democracy its biannual report on the state of democracy in congressional elections 14 1996 Steven Hill runs the first campaign for electoral system reform in the US for several decades a voter initiative to pass preference voting proportional representation in San Francisco The campaign loses 54 46 but sets the stage for future victories 15 1997 The Center releases Monopoly Politics a report on the undemocratic elements of the single winner plurality system 16 The center s news conference is filmed on C SPAN and Rob Richie s opinion appears in The New York Times 17 1999 IRV for statewide elections passes in the New Mexico State Senate 18 2002 Led by western regional director Steven Hill San Francisco becomes the first major city to pass a voter initiative 54 46 to adopt IRV for certain citywide elections 19 2002 Steven Hill s book Fixing Elections the Failure of American s Winner Take All Elections 20 is published making the case for electoral system reform in the United States 2004 San Francisco becomes the first city since Ann Arbor Michigan in 1975 to use IRV in public elections after suing recalcitrant city officials to compel compliance with the law 2005 Arkansas institutes IRV for overseas military voters 21 2006 South Carolina institutes IRV for military and overseas voters and Oakland and Minneapolis pass it for city elections 22 2007 Maryland becomes the first state to pass the National Popular Vote plan for president 23 2010 Oakland Berkeley and San Leandro California all use IRV for the first time to elect local offices 24 2012 Robert Richie writes for The Huffington Post supporting a national popular vote for president 25 2013 Robert Richie coauthors the fourth edition of Every Vote Equal a book explaining and supporting the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact 26 2014 New York lawmakers pass a national popular vote bill that will award the state s electoral votes to the candidate who receives the majority of the popular vote 27 2015 FairVote co hosts with the Washington College of Law a Democracy Slam with NBC s Chuck Todd and other leading journalists and professors with its key reforms receiving high ratings 28 2016 Maine becomes the first state to adopt IRV statewide with FairVote and FairVote Maine arm involved in the campaign 29 2017 Congressman Don Beyer introduces the Fair Representation Act at an event organized by FairVote FairVote New Mexico wins a lawsuit to keep Santa Fe on track to implement RCV in 2018 30 31 2018 Maine voters uphold RCV for congressional and primary elections and Utah passes a law enabling cities to use RCV with two cities opting to do so in 2019 32 2019 New York City adopts RCV and the Democratic National Committee approves use of RCV ballots in five party run presidential primaries and caucuses in 2020 33 2020 The state of Alaska and six cities pass ballot measures on RCV 34 2022 Nevada voters approve a ballot measure to adopt RCV statewide As a citizen initiated constitutional amendment it must pass again in 2024 to take effect 35 2023 Oregon s legislature refers a statewide ranked choice voting measure to the 2024 ballot 36 FairVote is headquartered in Silver Spring Maryland Mission edit The stated mission of FairVote is a nonpartisan champion of electoral reforms that give voters greater choice a stronger voice and a representative democracy that works for all Americans 37 FairVote concentrates its efforts on electoral reform in the United States through research education outreach and support of policies that foster equal representation and greater transparency within the electoral administration 38 The organization s projects fall into three broad categories fair access to participation fair elections and fair representation To that end it sponsors programs like the Democracy Secretary of State SoS Project which scrutinizes practices obstructing the voting process while proposing solutions to hold electoral officials accountable for their actions The Promote Our Vote project focuses on local ideas to spur participation 39 40 Members of FairVote regularly write blogs provide commentary in interviews and offer internships for interested youth 41 Public perception editGeneral coverage edit FairVote has been covered by many major news outlets including The Washington Post The New York Times and NPR which tend to call it a nonpartisan voting rights advocacy group 42 43 44 Other commonly used terms include voting rights organization 45 election reform advocacy group 46 47 national reform organization 48 and election participation and reform group 49 The Denver Post referred to the group as election protection campaigners 50 Alleged liberal bias edit In his New York Times profile of FairVote co founder Steven Hill Scott James called FairVote a left wing group 51 Other writers have claimed that many FairVote policies such as IRV are popular in liberal enclaves 52 and supported by populist groups such as Common Cause an advocacy organization 53 and thus give the group a liberal tilt 54 Louis Jacobson a writer for Roll Call argues that any group supporting the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact will be perceived as liberal leaning because of Democratic frustration with the Electoral College after the 2000 US presidential election 55 But Rob Richie FairVote s president has said FairVote is definitely not a Democratic stalking horse 56 In addition FairVote points to John Anderson who was president of the organization s first advisory board and a current member of the Board of Directors who ran for president as an Independent in 1980 In fact before Anderson ran for president he was a Republican Congressman from Illinois Proposed reforms editReleased in 2013 Reform 2020 is a set of four major reform goals 57 58 Fair representation voting Ranked choice voting Constitutional right to vote National popular voteElectoral procedure edit FairVote advocates the use of instant runoff voting IRV in single winner elections 59 Under this system voters rank candidates in order of preference in contrast to the more widely used plurality voting system FairVote has spread the term ranked choice voting RCV in the United States to describe single transferable vote and instant runoff voting the organization opposes Condorcet electoral systems which are also ranked choice voting systems In 2002 FairVote backed a San Francisco ballot initiative amending Section 13 102 of the city charter to allow IRV in local elections 60 61 62 The city began using IRV to elect local officials on November 2 2004 60 Subsequent ballot initiatives supported by FairVote have allowed the use of IRV in cities including Takoma Park Maryland 63 Minneapolis Minnesota 64 65 Oakland California 66 Portland Maine 67 68 Portland Oregon 69 Seattle Washington 70 New York New York 71 San Leandro California 72 St Paul Minnesota 73 Springfield Illinois 74 Telluride Colorado 75 and Santa Fe New Mexico 76 FairVote supports modification of state laws governing the Electoral College so that the president is elected by national popular vote 77 It advocates the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact 78 an agreement among states and the District of Columbia to award their electoral votes to the candidate with the highest popular vote total in all 50 states and DC 79 FairVote has played an active role in lobbying state officials to join the compact New York Assemblyman Fred Thiele said he first proposed New York s entrance into the compact after FairVote approached him 80 FairVote advocates the use of proportional representation which it calls fair representation voting in multi seat assembly and council elections throughout the U S 81 In this system each candidate or party controls a share of seats equal to its share of the vote The organization has proposed combining several congressional districts into one to allow for proportional representation in the United States Congress 82 as well as in the California and Michigan state assemblies 83 84 It advocates for several PR systems including STV which it also calls Ranked Choice Voting 85 cumulative voting 86 unordered open list Open Ticket Voting 87 SNTV Single Vote Method 86 and MMP Districts Plus 88 Voting rights edit FairVote has backed the proposed Right to Vote Amendment House Joint Resolution 44 sponsored by Representatives Mark Pocan and Keith Ellison under which citizens would be guaranteed a constitutional right to vote 89 FairVote filed a policy brief in support of the legislation writing We believe that the right to vote is a cornerstone of representative democracy that depends upon broadly defined voter eligibility universal voter access to the polls and election integrity 90 FairVote has also advocated universal voter registration a system in which all citizens of legal voting age would be registered to vote automatically 91 Research and reports editElection research edit FairVote has conducted research on both presidential and Congressional elections Most of its presidential election research focuses on the electoral college s effects on campaigning In its 2012 Presidential Election analysis FairVote documented the large disparity in both time and money spent in swing states e g Florida versus safe states e g Maryland 92 In addition FairVote has begun publishing data on how much time sitting presidents spend in swing states 93 FairVote releases two main documents of Congressional research every election cycle The first is Monopoly Politics which contains predictions and analysis for each race 94 FairVote first categorizes each seat according to its competitiveness seats are labeled Safe Democratic Likely Democratic Lean Democratic Toss Up Lean Republican Likely Republican or Safe Republican 92 Relatedly FairVote gives each district a partisanship ranking derived from previous elections FairVote then predicts what percentage of the vote candidates will receive Lastly the research tries to predict incumbent winning percentages for the election cycle For example FairVote expects incumbents to do 4 5 better in 2014 than they did in 2012 95 The second major document is Dubious Democracy an assessment of Congressional elections fairness 96 By aggregating Congressional race data since 1982 the research attempts to highlight several elements of Congressional elections the ratio of competitive to noncompetitive districts the effects of gerrymandering and voter turnout that FairVote believes hurt the democratic process In the report every Congressional race is placed on a scale of competitiveness from Tight lt 5 margin of victory to No Contest gt 40 margin of victory and the percentage of races within each category is tracked over time In addition the research tracks voter turnout and wasted votes over time Lastly the report follows the success of incumbents in winning reelection over time 97 In addition to Monopoly Politics and Dubious Democracy after the 2010 midterm elections FairVote released data on the effect of third party and spoiler candidates The report found that there were many districts in which the winning candidate did not receive a majority of the vote a fact the group finds problematic In addition the research highlighted races in which Independents garnered a sizable percentage of the vote 98 Finally FairVote created Representation 2020 a project that hopes to achieve parity in the numbers of men and women serving in elected office 99 The project has three main goals institutionalizing changes in party rules to recruit and train more women to run for office creating family friendly legislative schedules and replacing single member districts with multi member districts with proportional representation 100 101 Representation2020 has since become a separate nonprofit called RepresentWomen it is still closely aligned with FairVote 102 Voting rights edit FairVote has created two projects that aim to expand and protect voting rights in the United States The first Promote Our Vote tries to provide support and resources for groups focused on expanding voting rights The group provides electoral research legal analysis and communications assistance In addition Promote Our Vote creates support for a constitutional right to vote amendment by building up support at the local level focusing mainly on college campuses 103 104 The second project is Democracy SoS which aims to familiarize voters with the important role of state level Secretary of State officials 105 To that end the project has issued reports on state election preparedness interviewed state election officials and published voter guides that focus on election reform policies The project also hopes to popularize its candidate surveys which include questions about election planning and election integrity 106 Involvement in court cases editFairVote has participated in a number of recent court cases as amici curiae to advance fair representation voting particularly under the California and federal Voting Rights Act 107 Notable recent cases in which it has been involved include Sanchez v City of Modesto 2007 edit Sanchez v City of Modesto 2007 dealt with the constitutionality of the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 CVRA 108 After the California Superior Court of Stanislaus County declared the CVRA unconstitutional in favor of the City of Modesto plaintiffs Enrique Sanchez Emma Pinedo and Salvador Vera appealed to the Fifth Appellate District of the Court of Appeal of California 108 Along with Kathay Feng from the organization California Common Cause FairVote submitted an amicus curiae brief in favor of the plaintiffs 109 FairVote argued that winner take all at large voting systems caused vote dilutions in jurisdictions affected by racially polarized voting even where minority voters cannot form a majority in a single member district 110 Supporting the CVRA FairVote viewed the law requiring courts to fashion effective remedies to cure vote dilution affecting smaller and dispersed minority populations 111 Asserting that the CVRA allows California to become more representative of the people FairVote concluded that the CVRA was an important and constitutional piece of government reform 112 The Court of Appeal applied rational basis review to CVRA and declared the law constitutional reversing the lower court s decision 108 United States v Village of Port Chester 2008 edit In December 2006 the United States Department of Justice alleged that Port Chester s at large system of electing its board of trustees violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 The US government claimed that the at large electoral system denied the Hispanic population an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choice 113 In United States v Village of Port Chester 2008 US District Judge Stephen Robinson of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a decision that the Village s election system violated the Voting Rights Act and ordered remedial plans from all parties 113 The Defendants of the case the Village of Port Chester proposed cumulative voting as a remedy which allows citizens to cast multiple votes for a given candidate for a given seat 114 In 2007 the Brennan Center representing FairVote as amicus curiae submitted a brief supporting cumulative voting as a remedy but also proposing another system known as choice voting a process of ranking candidates 114 FairVote argued that cumulative and choice voting avoid the necessity for deliberately drawing districts along racial lines and that a winner take all system would not allow the Hispanic minority population to gain representation 115 FairVote also argued that cumulative voting is appropriate under the Voting Rights Act as it ensures the equal principle of one person one vote is race neutral and that it is supported by case law and history 116 On November 6 2009 the Court did not accept choice voting but accepted Port Chester s remedy of cumulative voting On June 16 2010 Port Chester elected its first Latino to the Board of Trustees 114 Minnesota Voters Alliance v City of Minneapolis 2009 edit FairVote Minnesota is an independent ally of FairVote 117 118 FairVote Minnesota siding with the City of Minneapolis served as intervenor respondent in Minnesota Voters Alliance v City of Minneapolis a case that was attested at the Minnesota Supreme Court 119 Minnesota Voters Alliance v City of Minneapolis dealt with the constitutionality of IRV which was adopted by the City of Minneapolis for its municipal elections 120 Minnesota Voters Alliance a nonprofit organization that served as the appellants argued that the method violates their right to vote to associate for political purposes and to equal protection under both the United States and the Minnesota Constitutions Siding with the city FairVote Minnesota stated that instant runoff voting IRV is a form of RCV that allows voters to rank multiple candidates on a single ballot 121 They argued that this form of voting has legitimate policy reasons such as simplifying the election process saving money increasing voter turnout ensuring more diverse representation and promoting civil election campaigns 122 In its defense of the City of Minneapolis FairVote argued that the appellants bore a heavy burden of persuasion because they brought a facial challenge to IRV s constitutionality 123 and that Minneapolis IRV is constitutional because it is supported by legitimate interests imposes no burden on the right to vote and applies to all voters 124 The Court affirmed the lower district court s ruling that IRV does not infringe on the appellants constitutional rights thus rejecting the Minnesota Voters Alliance s challenge to IRV 120 After the result Jeanne Massey executive director of FairVote Minnesota applauded the decision and said that the Court blazed a path that every community in our state can follow toward better elections and a stronger democracy and that the decision was a resounding endorsement of ranked choice voting 125 Jauregi v City of Palmdale 2014 edit Juan Jauregui the plaintiff filed a complaint in April 2012 alleging that Palmdale s at large method of electing members to its City Council resulted in vote dilution for Latino and African American residents 126 The lawsuit claimed that Palmdale s at large method denied minority residents effective political participation and thus violated the California Voting Rights Act CVRA 126 The case was brought up to Judge Mooney of the Superior Court of the State of California in the County of Los Angeles In July 2013 Mooney declared that the CVRA vested the court in implementing appropriate remedies in favor of the plaintiffs 127 The City of Palmdale immediately appealed the decision reasoning that in 2001 Palmdale residents voted for an at large election system 128 The case reached the California Court of Appeal in the Second Appellate District In January 2014 FairVote submitted an amicus curiae brief in support of the plaintiffs 129 FairVote argued that fair representation voting unlike at large systems enhanced minority groups to elect at least one candidate of their choice 130 FairVote advocated for a number of alternative methods such as ranked choice voting single voting and cumulative voting 131 The City of Palmdale opposed FairVote s participation arguing that the amicus brief threatens significant prejudice to the City as it would continue to delay the certification of the city s November 2013 election 132 The California Court of Appeal denied FairVote s application to file as amicus curiae 107 See also editForward Party United States The Center for Election Science The Equal Vote Coalition Electoral reform in the United StatesReferences edit National Office Staff FairVote Archived from the original on 5 March 2014 Retrieved 3 April 2014 a b IRS Form 990 FairVote Retrieved 16 December 2020 Who We Are FairVote Retrieved 3 April 2014 PR Web Sites Mount Holyoke College Retrieved 3 April 2014 Reforms FairVote Retrieved 3 April 2014 Dubious Democracy FairVote Retrieved 3 April 2014 Monopoly Politics 2014 FairVote Retrieved 3 April 2014 Poundstone William 2008 Gaming the vote why elections aren t fair and what we can do about it 1st ed New York Hill and Wang pp 262 ISBN 978 0809048939 citizens for proportional representation founded 1992 Celebrating 10 Years of Seeking Fair Elections A Special Anniversary Edition FairVote Retrieved 25 March 2014 OUR TEAM FairVote Retrieved 22 September 2023 Laugle Laura Proportional Representation in Cincinnati University of Cincinnati Retrieved 25 March 2014 Celebrating 10 Years of Seeking Fair Elections FairVote Retrieved 25 March 2014 Cane v Worcester County M D Leagle Retrieved 25 March 2014 Dubious Democracy FairVote Retrieved 25 March 2014 What s Your Preference October 23 1996 SF Weekly 1996 10 23 Retrieved 2019 01 15 Cook Charles New Study Identifies 75 Seats That Should Be In Play for 98 Election Roll Call Retrieved 25 March 2014 Richie Rob 7 July 1997 First Reform Constitutional Convention Rules The New York Times Retrieved 25 March 2014 HR 3232 2001 Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 4 March 2015 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Where Instant Runoff Voting Is Used FairVote Retrieved 25 March 2014 FIXING ELECTIONS THE FAILURE OF AMERICA S WINNER TAKE ALL POLITICS by Steven Hill www fixingelections org Retrieved 2019 01 15 IRV Bills Move Ahead Ballot Access Retrieved 5 April 2014 BIG GAINS FOR INSTANT RUNOFF VOTING IN VERMONT SOUTH CAROLINA AND ALABAMA Ballot Access Retrieved 5 April 2014 Maryland Legislature Passes Historic National Popular Vote Plan FairVote Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 5 March 2015 Oakland IRV Yes on Measure O archive fairvote org Retrieved 2019 01 15 Richie Rob 6 September 2012 The Nonpartisan Case for National Popular Vote Al Gore not GOP Platform Gets It Right The Huffington Post Retrieved 5 April 2014 Koza John December 2006 Every Vote Equal Los Altos CA National Popular Vote Press ISBN 978 0 9790107 0 5 NY lawmakers approve National Popular Vote bill The Wall Street Journal Retrieved 5 April 2014 Democracy Slam 2015 Event Mobi Retrieved 9 April 2017 Maine Ranked Choice Voting Initiative Question 5 2016 Ballotpedia Retrieved 12 May 2019 Beyer Introduces Fair Representation Act To Reform Congressional Elections Beyer House Gov 26 June 2017 Retrieved 18 April 2021 Santa Fe ordered to implement ranked choice voting Albuquerque Journal Retrieved 18 April 2021 2018 Program Highlights FairVote Retrieved 18 April 2021 2019 Message to Supporters FairVote Retrieved 18 April 2021 End of Year 2020 FairVote Retrieved 18 April 2021 Clyde Don November 13 2022 Nevada voters back big changes to their election system NPR Retrieved September 13 2023 Oregon becomes the latest state to put ranked choice voting on the ballot NBC News 2023 06 27 Retrieved 2023 09 13 About FairVote FairVote Retrieved 12 May 2019 Research amp Analysis FairVote Retrieved 25 March 2014 Democracy SOS Project FairVote Retrieved 25 March 2014 Engaging Millennials Changing How We Vote and How We Organize New York University Retrieved 25 March 2014 FairVote The Center for Voting and Democracy Tufts University Retrieved 3 April 2014 Segal David January 24 2009 Don t Name That Senator The New York Times Retrieved 25 March 2014 Urbina Ian July 21 2008 Influx of New Voters Expected to Test New Technology The New York Times Retrieved 25 March 2014 Anderson John September 28 2007 Let The Most Popular Candidate Win Christian Science Monitor Retrieved 25 March 2014 Steinhauer Jennifer August 11 2007 States Try To Alter How Presidents Are Elected The New York Times Retrieved 25 March 2014 Judkis Maura March 3 2014 Republic s live music events begin March 9 with Krist Novoselic The Washington Post Retrieved 25 March 2014 Levien Andrea November 29 2013 In Va Politics The Glass Ceiling Has Few Cracks The Washington Post Retrieved 25 March 2014 Shin Annys November 3 2013 Takoma Park 16 year old Savors His History Making Moment at the Polls The Washington Post Retrieved 25 March 2014 Khadaroo Stacy January 6 2012 The Ron Paul Effect Christian Science Monitor Retrieved 25 March 2014 Fender Jessica October 14 2008 Cracking the CoDA Liberal Web Effective The Denver Post Retrieved 25 March 2014 James Scott October 6 2011 A Critical Spotlight Shines on Ranked Choice Voting The New York Times Retrieved 25 March 2014 Brandt Steve November 20 2010 New Voting Not As Simple As 1 2 3 The Minneapolis Star Tribune Retrieved 25 March 2014 Common Cause Avlon John March 7 2006 The Fight for Redistricting Reform The New York Sun Retrieved 25 March 2014 Electoral Vote Reform Is It An Idea Whose Time Has Come Roll Cal May 10 2006 Retrieved 25 March 2014 Rob Richie on the Election Process C SPAN Retrieved 21 April 2014 Music And Activism Draw Crowd Bethesda Gazette Archived from the original on 22 April 2014 Retrieved 25 March 2014 Our Goals Reform 2020 Retrieved 25 March 2014 FairVote org Instant Runoff Voting Ranked Voting a b San Francisco Successfully Uses Ranked Choice Voting For Citywide Elections Nov 2005 Retrieved 20 April 2014 City and County of San Francisco Ranked Choice Voting Archived from the original on 2014 04 09 Retrieved 2014 04 21 American Legal Publishing Online Library Richie Rob 2014 FairVote Survey Shows Support for Takoma Park Voting Reforms The Huffington Post Retrieved 20 April 2014 Why RCV is Better FairVote Minnesota Archived from the original on 2014 04 23 Retrieved 2014 04 21 Measure to overhaul municipal races passes Star Tribune Star Tribune Archived from the original on 2014 04 23 Retrieved 2014 04 21 Oakland IRV Yes on Measure O PortlandVotes123 Home Portland returns to electing its mayor The Portland Press Herald Maine Sunday Telegram 3 November 2010 How ranked choice voting works Portland gov www portland gov 2023 05 04 Retrieved 2023 09 13 Seattle Washington Proposition 1A and 1B Approval Voting Initiative and Ranked Choice Voting Measure November 2022 Ballotpedia Retrieved 2023 09 13 Ranked choice voting NYC Board of Elections vote nyc Retrieved 2023 09 13 Katz Lacabe Mike 20 January 2010 City Council Approves Ranked Choice Voting Election is Nov 2 2010 Web Retrieved 25 March 2014 Melo Frederick 5 November 2011 For St Paul s ranked choice voting it s showtime St Paul Pioneer Press Minnesota Retrieved 25 March 2014 Illinois General Assembly Full Text of SB0439 2008 Retrieved 20 April 2014 Valenti Jimy 2011 Ranked voting will be on the ballot in Fort Collins Retrieved 20 April 2014 Santa Fe New Mexico Amendment 5 Ranked Choice Voting Measure March 2008 Ballotpedia Retrieved 2023 09 13 FairVote org National Popular Vote What is the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact The Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2011 07 10 N Y Lawmakers Aim To Curb Electoral College The New York Sun 31 July 2006 Retrieved 4 March 2015 Fair Voting Proportional Representation Richie Rob McCarthy Devin 18 Oct 2013 Rebuilding the big tent Web The Washington Post Retrieved 25 March 2014 Competitive Elections amp Fair Representation PDF FairVote Archived from the original Web on 6 September 2015 Retrieved 25 March 2014 Independent Districting and Districts Plus A Powerful Reform Combination PDF FairVote Archived from the original PDF on 24 September 2015 Retrieved 25 March 2014 FairVote org How RCV Works FairVote Retrieved 2019 02 09 Note that when used to elect a multiple candidates to office ranked choice voting is a form of fair representation voting and it may be called single transferable vote or STV a b Other Fair Representation Voting Methods FairVote Retrieved 2019 02 09 This winner take all method can easily be made into a fair representation voting method by extending cumulative voting rights to the voters FairVote org Open Ticket Voting FairVote Retrieved 2019 02 09 FairVote org Districts Plus FairVote Retrieved 2019 02 09 Districts Plus is a candidate based form of voting known internationally as mixed member proportional representation or MMP Pocan and Ellison Announce Right to Vote Amendment Web 13 May 2013 Retrieved 25 March 2014 Hailey Mollie 24 June 2013 A Constitutional Right to Vote The Promise of House Joint Resolution 44 PDF FairVote Policy Perspective Archived from the original PDF on 24 September 2015 Retrieved 25 March 2014 Why Universal Registration FairVote 2013 Retrieved 25 March 2014 a b Carroll Susan December 2013 Gender and Elections Cambridge University Press p 114 ISBN 9781107026049 Presidential Tracker FairVote Retrieved 23 December 2016 Have the Midterm Elections Already Been Decided MSNBC Archived from the original on 2 November 2013 Retrieved 25 March 2014 Monopoly Politics 2014 Projections FairVote Retrieved 25 March 2014 Dubious Democracy 1982 2010 FairVote Retrieved 25 March 2014 FairVote s Dubious Democracy report about United States House of Representatives elections Ballotpedia Retrieved 25 March 2014 Non Majority Winners and Spoilers in 2010 Elections FairVote Archived from the original on 9 April 2014 Retrieved 25 March 2014 Forum On the State of Women s Representation New York University Retrieved 25 March 2014 Looking At Gender Parity CSPAN Retrieved 25 March 2014 Moyers Bill 11 March 2014 Why Does the US Still Have So Few Women In Office Retrieved 25 March 2014 Representation2020 com Frequently Asked Questions RepresentWomen Retrieved 2019 07 31 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link US Needs Amendment To Protect Voting Rights For All 25 September 2013 Retrieved 25 March 2014 Promote Our Vote The Right to Be Heard Archived from the original on 22 April 2014 Retrieved 25 March 2014 Getting Ready For Election Day State Innovation Archived from the original on 22 April 2014 Retrieved 25 March 2014 Introducing Democracy SoS 7 February 2008 Retrieved 25 March 2014 a b Fairvote s Brief on Fair Representation Voting in Palmdale Case FairVote Retrieved 25 March 2014 a b c Sanchez v City of Modesto LexisNexis Academic Retrieved 25 March 2014 Brief of Amici Curiae California Common Cause and Fairvote in Support of Plaintiffs Appellants page 1 PDF California Common Cause and Fairvote Retrieved 6 April 2014 Brief of Amici Curiae California Common Cause and Fairvote in Support of Plaintiffs Appellants page 4 PDF California Common Cause and Fairvote Retrieved 6 April 2014 Brief of Amici Curiae California Common Cause and Fairvote in Support of Plaintiffs Appellants page 14 PDF California Common Cause and Fairvote Retrieved 6 April 2014 Brief of Amici Curiae California Common Cause and Fairvote in Support of Plaintiffs Appellants page 34 PDF California Common Cause and Fairvote Retrieved 6 April 2014 a b United States v Village of Port Chester 2008 LexisNexis Academic Retrieved 13 April 2014 a b c United States v Village of Port Chester Brennan Center for Justice Retrieved 25 March 2014 Brief of Amicus Curiae in United States of America v Village of Port Chester PDF FairVote Retrieved 13 April 2014 Brief of Amicus Curiae in United States of America v Village of Port Chester Page 11 12 amp 13 PDF FairVote Retrieved 13 April 2014 Fairvote MN and Better Ballot Campaign 10 Year Gala FairVote Archived from the original on 22 April 2014 Retrieved 13 April 2014 Help FairVote MN s Ranked Choice Voting Video Win Thousands of Dollars For Fairer Elections FairVote Retrieved 13 April 2014 Hennepin County Minnesota Voters Alliance et al vs The City of Minneapolis PDF Minnesota Supreme Court Retrieved 13 April 2014 a b Hennepin County Minnesota Voters Alliance et al vs The City of Minneapolis Page 2 PDF Minnesota Supreme Court Retrieved 13 April 2014 Brief of Intervenor Respondent in Minnesota Voters Alliance v City of Minneapolis Page 1 PDF FairVote Minnesota Retrieved 13 April 2014 Brief of Intervenor Respondent in Minnesota Voters Alliance v City of Minneapolis Page 9 amp 11 PDF FairVote Minnesota Retrieved 13 April 2014 Brief of Intervenor Respondent in Minnesota Voters Alliance v City of Minneapolis Page 12 PDF FairVote Minnesota Retrieved 13 April 2014 Brief of Intervenor Respondent in Minnesota Voters Alliance v City of Minneapolis Page 17 PDF FairVote Minnesota Retrieved 13 April 2014 FairVote Minnesota Applauds Supreme Court Decision on Ranked Choice Voting FairVote Minnesota Archived from the original on 23 April 2014 Retrieved 25 March 2014 a b R Rex Parris Joins Voting Rights Lawsuit Against Palmdale GlobeNewswire 28 January 2013 Retrieved 13 April 2014 Juan Juaregi v City of Palmdale Statement and Decision PDF Superior Court of the State of California County of Los Angeles Central District Retrieved 13 April 2014 Palmdale to Appeal Voting Rights Act Decision City of Palmdale Archived from the original on 23 April 2014 Retrieved 13 April 2014 Fairvote s Amicus Curiae Brief In Support of Plaintiffs Respondents PDF FairVote Archived from the original PDF on 24 September 2015 Retrieved 13 April 2014 Fairvote s Amicus Curiae Brief In Support of Plaintiffs Respondents Pages 3 amp 4 PDF FairVote Archived from the original PDF on 24 September 2015 Retrieved 13 April 2014 Fairvote s Amicus Curiae Brief In Support of Plaintiffs Respondents Pages 6 7 amp 8 PDF FairVote Archived from the original PDF on 24 September 2015 Retrieved 13 April 2014 Appellant s Preliminary Opposition to Filing of Amicus Brief by FairVote PDF City of Palmdale Archived from the original PDF on 24 September 2015 Retrieved 13 April 2014 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title FairVote amp oldid 1176554595, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.