FairVote Blog
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What We Can Learn from Puerto Rico
by Jais Mehaji // June 15, 2011 //Yesterday, President Obama made a historic visit to the American territory of Puerto Rico; the first time a U.S president visited the island for an official state visit since JFK in 1961. Despite the fact that residents of Puerto Rico are U.S citizens and serve in the U.S. military in high percentages, they cannot vote in presidential general elections. President Obama’s visit to Puerto Rico provides an opportunity to consider its non-winner-take-all electoral rules that contribute to high turnout -- merit more national attention.
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Presidential Visits: A Return to Ohio and the Influence of the Electoral System on Presidential Attention
by Katherine Sicienski // June 15, 2011 //On Friday, June 3rd, President Barack Obama delivered remarks at the Chrysler Group Supplier Park in Toledo, Ohio. This was his 22nd event in the state of Ohio since assuming the presidency. Yet since his inauguration in 2009, the President has yet to hold a single event in ten states: South Carolina, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Utah, Nebraska, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Vermont.
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The New York 26th District Special Election: The Spoiler Effect in Action
by The Non-Majority Rule Desk, Katherine Sicienski // June 13, 2011 //As debate subsides on the impact of the recent special election in New York's 26th congressional district, it's time to step back and examine more fundamental dilemmas within the election process as revealed by this election.
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The Constitutional Right to Vote Blog: Rock the Blog!
by Jo McKeegan // June 14, 2011 //“The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.” While the language of the 26th amendment is intended to serve young people well, it still leaves open a loophole in Constitutional law- while young people cannot be discriminated against based on their age, they can be denied the chance to vote, or have their ability to vote abridged, for reasons that can also undercut voting rights for older citizens.
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Tunisia Moves towards Fair Elections
by Jais Mehaji, Arab Spring Series // June 13, 2011 //This post examines the democratic prospects for post-revolutionary Tunisia, as its government delays election date to October.
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Internet Voting 2.0 and Other Advances in Election Technology in Takoma Park
by Melanie Kiser // June 9, 2011 //An innovation in Internet voting seems to address problems with voter anonymity and privacy, but the potential for manipulation and subterfuge by hackers remains the fiberglass ceiling of online voting.
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The Right to Vote Blog: Put more money into politics?
by Jo McKeegan, Right to Vote Blog // June 1, 2011 //“Let’s put more money into politics!” is a rallying cry that won’t win over too many supporters.
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Democratization and Conflict in the Arab World: Challenges, opportunities and dangers- We were there!
by Wael Abdel Hamid, Arab Spring Series // May 31, 2011 //On May 4 , the United States Institute of Peace (USIP)in Washington, D.C. hosted an exceptional conference, organized with Georgetown University, entitled “Democratization and Conflict in the Arab World: Challenges, opportunities and dangers”. The aim of the conference was “to offer concrete, policy-relevant insights that will be of benefit to political leaders in the Arab world, as well as to policy makers and activists in the United States working in the areas of human rights, democratic change and the rule of law”.
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The End of the Election Assistance Commission?
by Nate Crippes, Dean Searcy // May 31, 2011 //The future of the Election Assistance Commission, an independent bipartisan government agency tasked with making elections fair and accessible, is in question. Amid the intense debate in Washington over government spending, this small agency could be terminated, some of its tasks being relegated to the Federal Elections Commission, in order to save the taxpayers $14 million a year. In the United State House of Representatives, H.R. 672, a bill introduced by Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS), seeks to terminate the EAC. The bill has made it through the Committee on House Administration along party lines, and will now move to the House for a vote.
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Choice Voting the Best Way to Bring People together in D.C. Redistricting
by Melanie Kiser // May 26, 2011 //A redistricting map that avoids dividing communities and transgressing natural barriers has eluded Washington, D.C. By most accounts, a truly fair and agreeable plan of single-member districts is impossible due to uneven population growth among the District's wards. Proportional voting presents the best option for assuring fair representation to all residents -- not only in D.C. but in cities and counties across the country.