FairVote Blog
-
Three Steps to a Smart Vote for the Upcoming Election
by Emily Hellman, Loqmane Jamil // October 14, 2010 //At FairVote, we acknowledge elections can sometimes be confusing. As voters, we occasionally need to check the rules, too. However, with a few good resources voting does not need to be intimidating. Below are three steps to make your vote count.
-
From the "Non-Majority Rule" Desk: Fake Third Party Candidates, Meek's Mixed Support, and the Unusual Cases of Illinois and Minnesota
by Chris Marchsteiner, The Non-Majority Rule Desk // October 13, 2010 //There’s no shortage of news at the non-majority rule desk. The lead story this week was yet another instance of faux third party candidates, this time in a New Jersey U.S. House race.
-
Virginia Governor takes action to improve voting rights
by , Jo McKeegan // September 28, 2010 //The process of removing the right to vote from a person convicted of a crime was invented by the Romans and dubbed “civil death”. It is a process that several states in America still implement today, grounded in the disturbing fact that the U.S. Constitution does not provide a citizenship right to vote.
In most states, a person who has completed serving a felony conviction is allowed to register to vote. Other states restrict this right, and in a few remaining states like Virginia, this punishment is a lifelong ban unless a waiver is granted by the governor. Anyone moving into such a state with a past felony conviction will be breaking the law if they vote, even if coming from a state where they had full suffrage rights.
-
From the "Non-Majority Rule" Desk: Undemocratic Rules Produce Undemocratic Results -- Even With Majority Victories
by Chris Marchsteiner, The Non-Majority Rule Desk // September 28, 2010 //This week at the Non-Majority Rule desk I’m going to focus on lessons from two important developments in statewide races: the U.S. Senate race in Alaska and the race for governor in New York. Recent developments in the two states’ races demonstrate another aspect of the dangers of plurality voting: How it can shortcut democracy even when majority victories are ultimately produced.
-
Brazil's Presidential Hopefuls Face Runoff, National Congress Needs Reform
by Andy Andrianantoandro // October 14, 2010 //On October 31st, a runoff will take place in Brazil’s presidential election. The leading candidate, Dilma Rousseff of the Worker’s Party (PT), failed to gain the 50% majority needed during the first round on October 3rd with just 47%.
-
Federal Election Integrity Act Coming to a House Vote
by , Jo McKeegan // September 28, 2010 //Even the most die-hard Yankee’s fan would see something wrong with Derek Jeter acting as umpire in a game he’s playing in as shortstop. HR 512, the Fair Election Integrity Act, is designed to prevent this in the context of American elections.
-
From the "Non-Majority Rule" Desk: Murkowski's Write-in Candidacy and Other Significant Third Party Candidates
by Chris Marchsteiner, The Non-Majority Rule Desk // September 22, 2010 //Third party and independent candidates continue to have a major impact on several statewide races for governor and U.S. Senate. Indeed, there are 8 states where candidates are polling at more than 10% - the latest being Lisa Murkowski, the sitting U.S. Senator from Alaska who lost her Republican primary, but who now is pursuing a write-in candidacy. At least one race might join them – New York, where Rick Lazio lost the Republican primary, but remains the Conservative Party nominee. Voters certainly seem hungry for more options – a Gallup poll found that 58% support a strong third party in the United States. Here’s a rundown of some of the week’s news from the “non-majority rule” desk.
-
Non-Majority Winners and Partisan Manipulation in the Gubernatorial Races and Primaries
by Chris Marchsteiner // September 15, 2010 //Building on previous blogs about non-majority rules in primaries and prospective ones in this November’s general elections, FairVote plans a weekly update from the “non-majority rule desk” – with an understanding that there’s a solution available and being put into practice in a growing number of communities: instant runoff voting.
-
From the "Non-Majority Rule" Desk: Independent Presidential Candidates, the Spoiler Effect, and Party Betrayal
by Chris Marchsteiner, The Non-Majority Rule Desk // October 5, 2010 //It was another notable week here at the non-majority desk, including nationally prominent ruminations about third parties and independents, including Thomas Friedman of the New York Times predicting an independent presidential bid in 2012 and FiveThirtyEight.com's Nate Silver suggesting such a campaign could succeed.
-
Re Registering to Vote After Moving Out of State
by , Jo McKeegan // October 4, 2010 //A practical question arose this afternoon: how long after you move should you change your voter registration? Obviously, a voter should be registered where s/he actually lives and gets mail, but when should the voter make the switch? Can you wait a week? A month? A year?