FairVote.org | E-Newsletter September 6, 2007

E-Newsletter September 6, 2007

Released September 6, 2007

Three Exciting Ways to Celebrate

of Advancing "The Way Democracy Will Be"

Three Exciting Opportunities

Help sustain our 15 years of reform advocacy.

To commemorate our 15 years of advancing bold reforms like proportional voting, instant runoff voting, a constitutionally protected right to vote, and fair presidential elections where every vote counts, FairVote is highlighting three exciting opportunities for our supporters. Read below about how you can get involved. There's never been a greater time to help build the pro-democracy movement than today, and with a presidential election looming, FairVote is needed now more than ever.

1. Save The Date: Claiming Democracy 2007 & 15th Anniversary Gala

Excitement is growing about FairVote's upcoming Claiming Democracy conference on strengthening a pro-democracy movement, to take place in Washington, D.C. on November 9th to 11th. Fellow conference sponsors include election reform and media reform organizations like Demos, Free Press, New America Foundation, Public Campaign, and the Brennan Center. Details at ClaimDemocracy.com

On November 10th we will also hold our 15th anniversary banquet in D.C.'s majestic Union Station. This will be a special affair with leaders from FairVote's history and high-profile supporters in attendance, such as former independent presidential candidate and FairVote chairman John Anderson, as well as appearances by New Yorker editor Hendrik Hertzberg, Daily Show correspondent Dan Bakkedahl, and Nirvana bass player Krist Novoselic. An evening of fine dining and great entertainment awaits all who attend, along with the winning videos from our Upgrade Democracy Video Contest! Stay tuned for more details at fairvote.org/gala and please save the dates for these two exciting events!

2. Make a Video: Upgrade Democracy Video Contest

There's still plenty of time to flex your creativity and submit your entry into FairVote's first-ever Upgrade Democracy Video Contest! Tell us what you think ought to be done to improve elections by making a short video answering the question:

If you could change anything you wanted about elections, what would our democracy look like?

You could win $2000 and have your video seen by celebrity judges including filmmaker Richard Linklater (School of Rock, Dazed and Confused), political guru Donna Brazile, The Daily Show's Dan Bakkedahl, MoveOn's Eli Pariser, Nirvana bassist Krist Noveselic, and New Yorker editor Hendrik Hertzberg! The winners will be honored at FairVote's 15th Anniversary Gala at the Claim Democracy conference.

To learn more about how to enter, visit www.UpgradeDemocracy.com. The deadline is September 28, 2007, so spread the word and get filming!

3. Donate Items, Make a Pledge: 15th Anniversary Auction & Pledge Drive

Timed to coincide with our 15th anniversary celebrations this November, FairVote is holding an online charity auction to raise funds for our work. We hope that some of our loyal supporters, and maybe even some new ones, will make in-kind contributions of items and services for us to auction. Do you have a vacation home or timeshare to donate, or perhaps some rare or autographed items? Please pull them out of your attic and put them to work for democracy!

Pledges for FairVote: FairVote of course needs your 2007 donations to sustain our progress toward 'the way democracy will be,' but also seeks commitments of support for the coming five years -- a critically important opportunity to win reform at all levels of government. Please consider commitments in the form of gifts of stock, pledges of annual support and bequests in your will. Contact Ross Margulies at Ross [at] fairvote.org for more information, or to donate an item to our auction.