FairVote

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FairVote
FairVote Logo.png
Basic facts
Location:Takoma Park, Md.
Type:501(c)(3)
Top official:Rob Richie, Executive Director
Year founded:1992
Website:Official website



FairVote is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Takoma Park, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. According to its website, FairVote aims "to make democracy fair, functional, and more representative" by publishing research and advocating legislative changes. It advocates ranked-choice voting, which would allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference instead of casting a single ballot.[1]

Mission

According to its website, FairVote has the following mission:[1]

“ FairVote is a non-partisan non-profit organization that seeks to make democracy fair, functional, and fully representative. We believe there are simple, common sense ways to strengthen our democracy and ensure all voices are heard, all views are respected, and every vote counts. That's why we work to study these problems, develop practical solutions, and work with national, state, and local partners to advance reforms that result in fairer elections.[2] ”

History

FairVote started as the Center for Proportional Representation (CPR) in 1992 in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1993, the organization changed its name to the Center for Voting Rights and Democracy because it conducted research on broader topics than proportional representation in elections. The organization changed its name to FairVote in 2004 in order "to capture our central mission of making elections fair through a diverse platform of electoral innovations and reforms, including ranked-choice voting, a national popular vote for president and universal voter registration."[3]

Work

FairVote is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that aims to reform the electoral system of the United States following these principles:[4][3]

  • Fair Representation — FairVote believes the electoral system should respect the "principle of representation for all."
  • Fair Elections — FairVote supports "elections with real choices in which every vote counts."
  • Fair Access — FairVote believes the system should reflect a "right to go to the polls and have a voice that will be heard."

According to its website, FairVote works to study problems with the electoral system and "develop practical solutions, and work with national, state and local partners to advance reforms that result in fairer elections." Its staff members were coauthors of the book Every Vote Equal, which laid out a plan to change the electoral college system to a national popular vote model. FairVote says that it has been the research arm of the national popular vote movement since 2005.[3][5]

FairVote works to enshrine a right to vote in the United States Constitution. Its website states that it drafted amendments to the Constitution in favor of an explicit right to vote. These were introduced in Congress in 2001-2003 and 2013-2014 with sponsorship from 70 members. It has also argued in favor of programs such as voter pre-registration for 16-year-olds and an "opt-out" voter registration system in place of an "opt-in" approach.[6]

On March 3, 2016, FairVote provided written testimony in Maryland in support of an interstate compact between Maryland and Virginia that would establish independent redistricting commissions and allow multi-member districts with ranked-choice voting.[7][8]

FairVote has advisory committees with members at other projects such as Representation2020 and Promote Our Vote. Representation2020 "works to raise awareness of the under-representation of women in elected office, to strengthen coalitions that are supportive of measures to increase women's representation, and to highlight the often overlooked structural barriers to achieving gender parity in American elections." Promote Our Vote focuses on "empowering localities, organizations, and campuses to raise turnout, protect access, and expand suffrage in the spirit of establishing a Constitutional Right to Vote."[9][10][11]

The FairVote website lists polarization, gerrymandering, voter choice, primary elections, and representation as the major issues the organization engages. Under each issue listed, FairVote describes what it sees as problems along with potential solutions. Like its issues page, the FairVote "innovations" webpage lists all of the various reform ideas the organization believes will improve American democracy. For instance, the page prominently features profiles about ranked-choice voting and proportional representation as well as lowering the voting age and universal voter registration. FairVote also conducts advocacy work focused on the RCV Act. Finally, FairVote publishes research on topics such as primaries, redistricting, voting rights, and related topics.[12][13][14][15]

Monopoly Politics report

FairVote publishes a regular report called Monopoly Politics, which analyzes elections in the United States House of Representatives and looks for the structural basis of political polarization, partisan bias, and lack of competition. The report also suggests reasons that the RCV Act could solve some of the problems identified by the organization. The RCV Act (Ranked Choice Voting Act) would change the electoral system in all fifty states from a "single-winner district" model to a new national standard. The new standard outlined in the RCV Act has three components that aim to "create a fairer and more representative way of electing Members of the House of Representatives," according to FairVote:[16][17]

  • Ranked-choice voting — This approach would allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference instead of casting a ballot for only one candidate.
  • Multi-winner districts — Instead of single-member districts, the RCV Act would create districts that send at least three members to Congress and no more than five. This might allow smaller groups to send a representative with their views if enough of them choose the same candidate as their first pick in a ranked-choice voting system.
  • Independent redistricting commissions — The RCV Act would have states draw districts by establishing independent redistricting commissions run by citizens. The commissions will be set up to accept district maps from anyone and then consider them in public hearings.

FairVote claims that the RCV Act would shift ideological decisions made in primary elections to the general elections where more voters participate. In addition, FairVote predicts that the proportional representation coming out of a ranked-choice voting system in multi-member districts would reflect the share of votes obtained by each party. Finally, FairVote suggests that moderates and independents would have more representation in Congress following the adoption of the RCV Act. The FairVote website includes several pages explaining the various aspects of the RCV Act, including a link to an "activist toolkit" to help supporters grow support for the idea in their communities.[16][18]

Ballot measures

FairVote has engaged the following ballot measures:

Leadership

As of March 2016, the following were the leaders of FairVote:[19]

  • Rob Richie, Executive Director
  • Cynthia Terrell, Representation2020 Chair
  • Nathan Nicholson, Development Director
  • Drew Spencer, Legal Director
  • Chris Hughes, Legal Fellow
  • Michelle Whittaker, Communications Director
  • Austin Plier, Communications and Outreach Specialist
  • Molly Rockett, Communications Fellow
  • Sarah John, Research Director
  • Andrew Douglas, Senior Policy Analyst
  • Haley Smith, Research Fellow
  • Doug Clopp, Outreach Director
  • Grace Ramsey, Deputy Outreach Director
  • Demarquin Johnson, Advocacy Fellow
  • Elliot Louthen, Advocacy Fellow
  • Ethan Fitzgerald, Advocacy Fellow
  • Orion Marchese, Advocacy Fellow

Finances

The following is a breakdown of FairVote's revenue and expenses for 2010-2014:

Annual revenue and expenses for FairVote, 2010-2014
Tax Year Total Revenue Total Expenses
2014[20] $1,214,055 $1,074,167
2013[20] $849,628 $724,843
2012[4] $361,178 $349,269
2011[4] $290,378 $288,979
2010[21] $472,926 $464,879

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'FairVote'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

FairVote - Google News

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 FairVote, "About FairVote," accessed March 4, 2016
  2. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 FairVote, "Our Story," accessed March 4, 2016
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 FairVote, "FairVote IRS Form 990 (2012)," accessed March 4, 2016
  5. ↑ National Popular Vote Press, "Every Vote Equal," accessed March 5, 2016
  6. ↑ FairVote, "Fair Access," accessed March 5, 2016
  7. ↑ FairVote, "RCV for Congress," accessed March 5, 2016
  8. ↑ FairVote, "Fair Representation in Congressional Elections," March 3, 2016
  9. ↑ FairVote, "Advisory Committees," accessed March 5, 2016
  10. ↑ Representation2020, "About Representation2020," accessed March 5, 2016
  11. ↑ Promote Our Vote, "Home," accessed March 5, 2016
  12. ↑ FairVote, "Issues," accessed March 5, 2016
  13. ↑ FairVote, "Innovations," accessed March 5, 2016
  14. ↑ FairVote, "Advocacy," accessed March 5, 2016
  15. ↑ FairVote, "Research," accessed March 5, 2016
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 FairVote, "Monopoly Politics," accessed March 5, 2016
  17. ↑ FairVote, "The Ranked Choice Voting Act," accessed March 5, 2016
  18. ↑ FairVote, "RCV Activist Toolkit," accessed March 5, 2016
  19. ↑ FairVote, "Staff and Leadership," accessed March 4, 2016
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 FairVote, "FairVote IRS Form 990 (2014)," accessed March 4, 2016
  21. ↑ FairVote, "FairVote IRS Form 990 (2011)," accessed March 4, 2016
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