Constitution Day, celebrated annually on September 17th, commemorates the founding fathers who designed and signed the Constitution in 1787. To celebrate, FairVote reflects on the founders’ vision for American democracy and how ranked choice voting corresponds with that vision.

With twenty-four candidates running, the race to replace outgoing Louisiana U.S Senator David Vitter is one of the most hotly contested elections this year. While competition is emblematic of a healthy democracy, Louisiana’s current electoral system has a defect that is partly addressed by having a majority runoff but still leaves voters in a tough situation during highly competitive races like this one.

Throughout this election season, FairVote has followed primary runoffs around the country and written about their many failings, including the enormous cost of one Alabama runoff and the dismal turnout for Texas’s runoffs. Unfortunately, Georgia’s July 26th contests appear to be another example of these failings.

Catch up on the week’s electoral reform news with our round up of folks across the country writing and talking about FairVote’s reform vision.

Catch up on the latest in electoral reform news with our round up of folks across the country writing and talking about FairVote’s reform vision.

Greater Greater Washington and the Coalition for Smarter Growth are currently using ranked choice voting to determine the winner of their MetroGreater contest. This contest invited the public to submit small, low-cost ideas for improving riders’ experiences on the Washington DC Metro system.

Illinois state lawmakers took a step towards making their elections more inclusive by expanding the political rights of 17-year-olds. HB 6167, which was signed into law on August 5, 2016, grants 17-year-olds who will turn 18 before the next general election the ability to sign and circulate petitions, pre-register to vote, and help register other eligible citizens to vote.

I am a rising second year at the University of Chicago majoring in Economics and Public Policy, who is originally from Houston, Texas. At school, I am involved with the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics and am a member of Friends of Washington Park Youth, an organization that pairs primary school students living in Chicago’s South Side with mentors from the University of Chicago. In the classroom, my primary academic interests currently include electoral reform and education policy.

As a part of its ongoing Divided America series, the Associated Press released a story about how the demographics of America’s legislatures do not match the demographics of its people. In this piece, Alfonso Lopez - the only Latino state lawmaker in Virginia - discusses how having a state legislature that under-represents Virginia’s Latino community makes it more difficult for the state’s government to adequately address problems facing the Latino community.