FairVote Reformer January 2012
January 30
Newsletter Features
Fair Vote 20th Anniversary- and a Salute to John Anderson
Your Primary Resource: 2012 Election Marathon Underway
Fair Voting Plans for Congress: There is a better way
84th Academy Awards Showcase Ranked Choice Voting
Question of the Month
The FairVote Reformer updates you on our research, analysis and advocacy and what’s happening around the country with elections and electoral reform. For updates every day, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Our blog is also very regularly updated with commentary and analysis, like our most recent entry on money and politics.
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Welcome to 2012! It’s a big election year, and there’s no shortage of elections to track and reform ideas to explain. We’re the nation’s go-to resource when it comes to big thinking about election reform – certainly there’s rarely been a better time for out-of-the-box approaches to stand up for American votes and our democracy.
FairVote 20th Anniversary - and a Salute to John B. Anderson
This year marks FairVote’s 20th anniversary of our founding meeting in Cincinnati (OH) in June 1992. Keep an eye out for special events and campaigns!
Speaking of anniversaries, one of our founders is John B. Anderson, the former Congressman and presidential candidate. Still an active FairVote board member, Congressman Anderson turns 90 on February 15th. For election junkies, don’t miss the wonderful new account of John’s 1980 bid for the presidency, No Holding Back. And please join us in wishing John well and celebrating his independence and creativity.
Your Primary Resource: 2012 Election Marathon Underway
FairVote has assembled key resources to understand this year's nomination contests, with regular analysis on its blog and in published commentary. Don't miss these new
reports and commentaries.
- Report: Delegate allocation rules in 2012 GOP race: What different states are using, and the impact of proportional representation compared to winner-take-all. See our election results, state by state.
- Report: Open, closed and mixed primaries, state-by-state: This report details who is allowed to vote in every state holding a presidential or congressional primary this year.
- Policy Ideas: FixThePrimaries.com: Our review of different ideas for reforming the schedule and rules of the presidential nomination process.
See more at our blog and our latest news.
FairVote will continue to bring our unique point of view and insight to analysis both on our website and in the media throughout the primary season. We also are regularly cited in the media, including recently in analysis in The Nation and Christian Science Monitor.
We also of course keep an eye on the general election. See our “presidential tracker”, updated daily, and the latest advocacy news at NationalPopularVote.com - -a special shout-out to former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson for deftly explaining National Popular Vote and answering the hyperbolic inaccuracies of John Sununu in South Carolina last week.
Fair Voting Plans for Congress: There is a Better Way
Redistricting continues to be controversial in many states this year, with Texas yet again playing a starring role. FairVote will soon complete plans for all 50 states showcasing fair voting methods of proportional voting. See how it is for fair voting systems to make every voter relevant in every election while increasing representation of racial minorities, women, and diverse political opinions. See the plans for states we have so far here.
We’re regularly publishing commentaries about these proposals, including recently in the daily newspaper of the state capital of Texas, the Austin American Statesman about how fair voting districts would get rid of the type of controversy the state is facing right now.
84th Academy Awards showcase Ranked Choice Voting
It’s Oscar time again! Check out www.OscarVotes123.com and cast your ranked choice voting
ballot for Best Picture. That’s what Hollywood’s greatest stars are doing right now, as the Academy of Motion Pictures uses RCV (as do hundreds of major associations in their elections) in the awarding of Best Picture. The fair voting form of choice voting also is used by the Academy in nominations for most categories, ensuring that nearly all Academy voters help nominate someone and/or some film and giving them a real stake in the outcome on Oscar night on February 26th.
Ranked choice voting makes sense for any election with one winner and more than two candidates. It’s looking more and more likely that our defective plurality voting rule will once again be a big story in this fall’s general election if and when more than two candidates seek the presidency.
So just why do we lack a citizenship right to vote in the Constitution? Let us know by connecting with us on Facebook or Twitter. Learn more at FairVote.org– and stay tuned for ideas on how you can work for change in your community.
Thanks for reading, and please send us your thoughts and questions at info@fairvote.org
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