FairVote Blog
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Swing States of America: Candidate Tracker and News, July 3
by Erin Ellis // July 3, 2012 //Is Florida the state to win? Did Obama's trip to Colorodo hurt or help his re-election bid? Plus: the states whose residents contribute the most money to campaigns are getting the least bang for their buck as Obama and Romney continue to target their ad spending in battleground states.
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The Failure of US Civics Education
by Kathy Pahel // May 31, 2012 //Today, the United States falls short of its goal to create generation after generation of educated citizens to ensure the continuation of our democracy. Once the founding motivation for the creation of public schools, civics education has fallen into the shadows of math and science. It is taught in a passive learning environment, and lacks any development of critical thinking essential to the democratic process. Without a thorough revamping of our education system, civics education will continue to be sidelined and our democracy will suffer.
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Presidential Tracker: The Orphaned States of America
by Jared Gay // May 16, 2012 //Two weeks ago, voters in South Carolina looked on as President Obama passed them by once again. Since coming into office in 2008, the president has held 18 events in North Carolina, yet has not once held any sort of event in South Carolina. Geographically, religiously, and historically, the Carolinas are quite similar. The big difference: In 2008, President Obama won North Carolina with 49.9%, but lost South Carolina with 44.9%.That modest difference means everything given the way states currently cast their electoral votes.
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Democracy Demands Civic Education
by Kathy Pahel // May 15, 2012 //Through at least 40 years of polling, the American public has claimed that the number-one purpose of the nation’s schools is “preparing people to become responsible citizens.” Civic education is a key factor in personal and social development, as well as essential to the democratic process, and the only institution that can provide opportunities to cultivate democratic experience-not for elite groups, but for all children and youth- is the school.
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Swing States of America: Candidate Tracker and News, July 17
by Erin Ellis, Jared Gay // July 17, 2012 //Obama and Romney visit swing states Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively, to bash one another's economic policies. Furthermore, analysts identify Virginia as the most crucial swing state this election and some predict that Obama can win its Electoral College votes.
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Swing States of America: Candidate Tracker and News, July 20
by Erin Ellis // July 20, 2012 //Obama and Romney cancel campaign events in swing states Florida and New Hampshire, respectively, to address last night's tragic Colorado shooting; polls show that the candidates are deadlocked in battleground states at 46 percent apiece; a high turnout of African American voters could turn the tables in Obama's favor.
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Look to Election Rules to Reverse Decline of Political Center
by Rob Richie, Sheahan Virgin // May 11, 2012 //U.S. Senators Dick Lugar (R-IN), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Kent Conrad (R-ND) share a history of bipartisan policymaking -- and the reality that they are leaving Congress. With its "the-rules-matter" perspective, FairVote explores the way in which our winner-take-all voting system disadvantages centrist candidates and discourages bipartisanship.
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Swing States of America: Candidate Tracker and News, July 24
by Erin Ellis // July 24, 2012 //POTUS analysts report that there may only be five true battleground states this election: Florida, Ohio, Colorado, Virginia and North Carolina. However, if large numbers of Latinos register to vote, new swing states could emerge. In other news, as only 6 percent of voters are still undecided, the candidates' campaigns spend a whopping $400 on each such voter.
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Primaries Spotlight Sharp Decline in U.S. House Moderates
by Rob Richie, Sheahan Virgin // May 8, 2012 //On April 24, two moderate Blue Dog Democrats, Tim Holden and Jason Altmire, lost in Pennsylvania's primary election. They are the latest examples of an accelerating "no-more-moderates" trend within both major parties. But fair representation of the left, right and center is essential to the health of a democracy. Grounded in its unique the-rules-matter perspective, FairVote explores how winner-take-all voting rules today disadvantage candidates willing to seek bipartisan solutions to problems.
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French Elections: Preview of May 6 Runoff
by Hüseyin Koyuncu // May 4, 2012 //The French presidential election of 2012 is the 10th presidential election in the 5th Republic and the 9th election by direct universal suffrage. The winner will serve a term of five years. The first round was held on April 22 and the runoff will take place on Sunday, May 6.