Victories in Rhode Island, Colorado and Illinois

It was a good week for FairVote in the states. On May 27, Colorado governor Bill Ritter signed HB 1378, a bill to allow all Colorado municipalities and special districts to use instant runoff voting and choice voting; FairVote's Rob Richie testied for two hours to the task force that recommended the bill last year. In Illinois, the legislature sent to the governor SF 439, a bill to allow municipalities to use IRV ballots to improve voting rights for overseas voters like those serving in the military.

In Rhode Island the State Senate took two critical steps forward on the reform agenda of our FairVote Rhode Island group. It overwhelmingly passed advance voter registration and the National Popular Vote plan. Former US Senator Lincoln Chafee was a key backer of the NPV bill, which has now passed in 18 of our nation's 99 legislative chambers, while FairVote RI has brought together a broad coalition of civic groups to back advance voter registration. The House already passed advance registration, and a bill should go to the governor this year.

[FairVote Rhode Island]
[Colorado Voter Choice Task Force Report]
[Rob Richie's blog on RI wins] 
[Include Every Voter on IRV ballots for overseas voters]