As a chaotic presidential primary season heats up, as rumors swirl about potential third party spoiler candidacies, and as electoral reforms are being debated and implemented all across the country, the time is ripe to hear directly from the people about how best to improve the way we hold elections.

It is in that spirit that FairVote is launching its Upgrade Democracy Video Contest, where we're giving everyone a chance to flex their creativity by making a short digital video that answers the question, "if you could change anything you wanted about elections, what would our democracy look like?"

Folks can upload their videos to YouTube where FairVote staff will choose a slate of nominees, and winners will be chosen by celebrity judges like filmmaker Richard Linklater (School of Rock, A Scanner Darkly), political guru Donna Brazile, and The Daily Show's Dan Bakkedahl.

Cash prizes will be awarded in various categories, and the first prize winner will get a trip to Washington, DC to receive their award at FairVote's Claiming Democracy 2007 Conference on November 10, 2007.

FairVote's mission is to pursue an innovative, solution-oriented pro-democracy agenda. Our vision of an equally secure, meaningful and effective vote for all Americans is founded on the principles articulated in the Declaration of Independence, Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech: we are created equal, government is of, by and for the people and it is time to make real the promises of democracy. We hope that this contest will spur conversation about electoral reform, and help to bring the debate to the forefront of national discourse.

To learn more about the contest visit www.UpgradeDemocracy.com, check out this flyer, and then get filming! The deadline for submissions is September 28, 2007!