FairVote Blog
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After Tunisia, Egypt is burning for Democracy
by Wael Abdel Hamid // February 1, 2011 //January 2011 has marked a crucial historical moment for the Arab world. After the Tunisian “jasmine revolution”, Egyptian people are massively demonstrating for the end of President Hosni Mubarak’s regime. The crossing destinies of Tunisia and Egypt augur a major shift in this region that knows a complicated democratization process.
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Mock elections: an innovative way to introduce voting to students
by Loqmane Jamil // January 31, 2011 //One measurement of the health of our democracy is the participation of the citizens. Unfortunately, voter turnout in the United States, (especially in non-presidential elections) is among the lowest of any democracy in the world. Here at FairVote, we seek to generate a greater focus on that problem starting in our schools- and explore ideas like mock elections to encourage voting from a young age.
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With choice voting for Oscar nominations, passion wins
by Wael Abdel Hamid // January 31, 2011 //In the days since the nominations of the 83th Oscars’ ceremony awards were announced, the entertainment press has written quite a bit about the surprises, along with the usual talk of scandalous snubs. What should be highlighted more, we believe, is the important role of the system used to choose these nominees -- who, no matter matter happens in the final vote, are already winners.
Read this article and many others on FairVote's annual coverage of the Oscars on Oscar Votes 123.
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The Constitutional Right to Vote Blog: Felon Disenfranchisement in Iowa
Iowa is a poster child for what it means to fail to protect our right to vote in the U.S. Constitution: fundamental democratic rights can then be tossed around like a political football.
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Egypt's parliamentary elections — The roots of a democracy in denial
by Wael Abdel Hamid, Arab Spring Series // January 18, 2011 //In 2010, Egypt held parliamentary elections which were widely criticized at home and abroad as corrupt and anti-democratic. Of particular concern was the fate of the Muslim Brothers, who had risen to prominence as the main opposition party in the 2005 elections, only to be swept completely out of Parliament in 2010.
This article makes a little overview of Egyptian institutions before analyzing the roots of the last Egyptian electoral crisis. -
The Constitutional Right to Vote Blog: Bush v. Gore, Ten Years Later
Ten years ago, in December of 2000, the Supreme Court decided Bush v. Gore. The case remains one of the more dividing litmus tests in American politics.
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Incentives to vote: A trivial carrot or a reliable solution for increasing voting turnout?
by Wael Abdel Hamid // December 9, 2010 //Voter turnout is abnormally low in the United States - -and closely correlates by eligible voter’s level of education and income. Compulsory voting can act as a stick to force voter turnout, but another approach is to encourage people to go to the polls by creating incentives to vote. Just as compulsory voting is not a clear cut issue, such reward-based practices can have their advantages and their disadvantages.
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Brennan Center article "Citizen's Guide to Redistricting" published
by , Jo McKeegan // December 1, 2010 //This 2010 edition is intended to not only serve as a guide to those already “in the know” such as academics and experts on emerging trends in gerrymandering, but also to introduce students, and policymakers to the variety of ways in which redistricting affects the day to day lives of citizens.
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GOP Rolls the Dice in 2012 with Plurality, Winner-Take-All Rules
No elected office in the world matters more than the presidency of the United States. Given that reality, it’s remarkable that our method of electing it can have such flaws.
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Who Will Own the Millennial Vote?
by Krist Novoselic // November 24, 2010 //1992 was a big year for me. My band Nirvana not only had a number one record, we were credited for transforming rock music itself. There was not only a musical realignment that year; young people, a coveted demographic, were also paying attention to the presidential election...