Content Authored by Rob Richie
91 - 100 of 254 results
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Pennsylvanians oppose congressional district system - but also status quo
- Posted: September 29, 2011
- Author(s): Katie P. Kelly, Rob Richie
- Categories: National Popular Vote, Home
Poll numbers are useful in today's politics, but it is important to remember that the answers to other relevant questions may not always be present. Pennsylvanians oppose of Senate majority leader Dominic Pileggi’s proposal to allocate electoral votes by congressional district, but they also oppose the current system.
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Fuzzy Math: Wrong Way Reforms for Allocating Electoral College Votes
- Posted: September 16, 2011
- Author(s): Monideepa Talukdar, Robert Richie, and Ryan O'Donnell
- Categories: National Popular Vote, Research & Analysis, FairVote, All Reports
This updated analysis (first published in 2007) analyzes two of the three major options available to state leaders interested in reforming how a state allocates its Electoral College votes: the whole number proportional system and congressional district system. It evaluates them on the basis of whether they promote majority rule, make elections more nationally competitive, reduce incentives for partisan machinations and make all votes count equally. Our analysis reveals that both of these methods fail to meet our criteria and fall far short of the National Popular Vote plan, which is the third major option available to reformers.
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Mitigating the Pernicious Effects of Gerrymandering in North Carolina: The Super-District Alternative
- Posted: July 29, 2011
- Author(s): Super Districts, Jais Mehaji, Rob Richie
- Categories: Home
North Carolina lawmakers have approved one of the nation’s most extreme partisan gerrymanders this year. Four of the state’s seven Democratic incumbents are clearly targeted for defeat. The new map reduces the number of the state’s 13 congressional districts carried by Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential race from eight to only three, with the remaining 10 district all ones where John McCain won at least 55% of the vote. But FairVote's proportional voting plan in super districts would create a level playing field for people of all parties and races.
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Voting Rights Constitutional Amendment Gathers Steam
- Posted: July 22, 2011
- Author(s): Jo McKeegan, Rob Richie, Right to Vote Blog
- Categories: Right to Vote Amendment, Home, FairVote
Nothing is more fundamental to democracy that a fully protected right to vote. That’s why it belongs in the U.S. Constitution.
That's why we so pleased to share good news. Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. has introduced HJR 28, the Right to Vote amendment. If you want to support HJR 28, you can take action today. Without such a right specifically enumerated in our Constitution, our fundamental voting rights are at risk.
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Gerrymandering in Michigan and the Super District Remedy
- Posted: July 20, 2011
- Author(s): Super Districts, Jais Mehaji, Rob Richie
- Categories: Fair Voting/Proportional Representation, Redistricting
Controversies over redistricting in Michigan provide the latest evidence of the failure of winner-take-all, single member district rules. Winner-take-all elections inevitably represent many voters poorly and tempt partisans to gerrymander outcomes. The 1967 law mandating that states use them should be repealed so that states like Michigan can explore “super district” form of proportional voting to increase voter choice and fair outcomes.
FairVote's example of how super districts would work in Michigan show that every district easily can be made to be competitive and guarantee fair representation.
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Obama's Field Team: Swing State Power
- Posted: June 28, 2011
- Author(s): Rob Richie
- Categories: FairVote
President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign is already well underway. His early hires are the latest evidence of the negative effects of current state rules governing the Electoral College which force candidates to focus on a dwindling number of swing states -- and point to the value of adoption of the National Popular Vote plan for president.
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Major Legal Victory for Ranked Choice Voting — and Reform
- Posted: June 17, 2011
- Author(s): Lesley Delaney Hawkins, Rob Richie
- Categories: Ranked Choice Voting in Bay Area Elections, Ranked Choice Voting, Home
On May 20th, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld a lower federal court ruling rejecting a legal challenge to the City of San Francisco's use of ranked choice voting (RCV, also known as instant runoff voting, or IRV). The three-judge panel emphatically dismissed the plaintiffs' arguments, including a particularly clear rejection of the claim that RCV violates the principles of one-person, one-vote or equal protection under the law.
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Richie's May 9th Democracy Minute: The Ever-Shrinking Presidential Battleground
- Posted: May 9, 2011
- Author(s): Rob Richie
- Categories: FairVote
Watch video on Vermont's enactment of the National Popular Vote bill and read analysis of the roots of problems with the current presidential election system. News on instant runoff and upcoming IRV elections in the United States.
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Richie's May 6th Democracy Minute: Dump "first past the post"!
- Posted: May 6, 2011
- Author(s): Rob Richie
- Categories: FairVote
Launching a campaign to end "first past the post" ..British referendum on alternative vote expected to uphold status quo…Florida legislature passes controversial voting measure...Redistricting: Gubernatorial veto of Missouri redistricting plan overturned, Utah Democrats back consideration of super district proportional plan...Republicans kick off presidential nomination debates, with problematic process looming.
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Richie's May 5th Democracy Minute: Pluralities, Majorities and Fair Representation
- Posted: May 5, 2011
- Author(s): Rob Richie
- Categories: FairVote, Richie's Democracy Minute
Fair voting according to cats (video) .... The impact of plurality rules versus majority rules ....California Top Two race on Tuesday reverses first-round outcome – a more democratic result that won’t be possible in Sept. 13th special election for U.S. House in Nevada. ..UK to vote for regional and local government with non winner-take-all voting methods, and could change method of election for House of Commons. ..Canadian elections remain under microscope. .. Redistricting and recount wars continue.