Content Authored by Rob Richie
61 - 70 of 254 results
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Election Simulations From 1960-2008 Show That Electoral College Rules Don't Help Either Party, but Do Harm American Democracy
- Posted: October 12, 2012
- Author(s): Andrea Levien, Rob Richie
- Categories: Presidential Elections, National Popular Vote
By simulating 50-50 ties in the national popular vote for president, FairVote demonstrates that the Electoral College does not systematically harm or help either major party. We also demonstrate that in six of the past thirteen elections, a near tie in the national popular vote would have elected the wrong winner.
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New Report Highlights Our Primary Turnout Problem
- Posted: October 11, 2012
- Author(s): Rob Richie
- Categories: Right to Vote Amendment, Universal Voter Registration, Home
A new report on plunging turnout in federal primary elections underscores a crisis of non-participation in American elections -- one that is far more pronounced and troubling in primary elections and city elections than for higher-profile elections for president and Congress. There are concrete actions we could take to boost participation and give voters more choice and better representation in our elections.
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How New Mexico Lost Its Swing
- Posted: October 4, 2012
- Author(s): Andrea Levien, Rob Richie, Presidential Tracker
- Categories: Presidential Elections, National Popular Vote
New Mexico is no longer a swing state. Therefore, it should no longer expect any attention from either presidential campaign. Why did this happen and what does it mean for other states in the 2016 election?
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Revealing Evidence of Who Votes — and Who Doesn't — in Local Elections
- Posted: September 27, 2012
- Author(s): Stephen Mortellaro, Rob Richie
- Categories: Ranked Choice Voting, Home
Demographic data reveals interesting trends in voter turnout in the recent Takoma Park election using instant runoff voting.
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Four Crazy Electoral College Rules
- Posted: September 26, 2012
- Author(s): Rob Richie
- Categories: Presidential Elections, National Popular Vote, Home
The Electoral College in its current form is always pretty crazy--after all, every election it causes campaigns to ignore most of the country in favor of a handfull of swing states. But you may not know the four craziest Electoral College rules, written into the Constitution, that could take effect this November.
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Are Top Two Backers Seeking to Crush Dissent in California?
- Posted: September 15, 2012
- Author(s): Rob Richie, Drew Spencer
- Categories: Home
California's new Top Two election system has its strong advocates and opponents. Some opponents brought a lawsuit against Top Two to address what it saw as unconstitutional flaws. Although they lost in court, the legislature corrected one of the major flaws highlighted in the lawsuit. But now wealthy interveners in the case are seeking to collect fees against the plaintiffs, and a state judge has agreed. The interveners' action and the judge's ruling set a dangerous precedent.
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Texas Congressional Redistricting: Beyond Last Week's Section 5 Ruling
- Posted: September 7, 2012
- Author(s): Rob Richie, Drew Spencer
- Categories: Home, Redistricting, Voting Rights
Texas has had problems with redistricting - yet again. Last week's federal court ruling that Texas's 2011 plans for congressional districts and state legislative districts had both the purpose and effect of further reducing the representation of Texas's already underrepresented racial minority populations is just the state's latest salvo in the redistricting wars. We show that there's another way: fair voting plans.
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Presidential Inequality, Barack Obama, and a Tale of Two Carolinas
- Posted: September 6, 2012
- Author(s): Andrea Levien, Rob Richie, Presidential Tracker
- Categories: Presidential Tracker, Presidential Elections, National Popular Vote
Our current Electoral College rules mean that a mere four percent vote shift can make all the difference in how a state’s voters experience the presidential election. There is no better example than North Carolina and South Carolina.
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The Nonpartisan Case for National Popular Vote: Al Gore, not GOP Platform, Gets it Right
- Posted: September 5, 2012
- Author(s): Devin McCarthy, Rob Richie
- Categories: National Popular Vote, Home
Last week, the 2012 Republican Party Platform came out against a national popular vote, while Al Gore spoke in favor of one. Does that mean that the National Popular Vote plan is a partisan issue? To the contrary.
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Legal Analysis of Alternative Single Winner Election Methods
- Posted: July 25, 2012
- Author(s): Jessica Heller, Rob Richie
- Categories: All Reports
There are many alternatives to the plurality voting system currently employed in most elections in the United States. Some of those alternative voting methods have the potential to elect a candidate with the most widespread support, as opposed to plurality voting which may elect a candidate whom the majority of the electorate voted against. Given their potential for a positive impact on voter choice, it is important to analyze the legal and practical viability of those alternatives.