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Contributions of Steven Hill

Steven Hill is the senior analyst for the Center for Voting and Democracy (www.fairvote.org), a non-profit organization that educates the public about the impact of voting systems and the legislative redistricting process on representation, voter turnout, the quality of campaigns, legislative policy, and campaign finance reform.

He is author of Fixing Elections: The Failure of America's Winner Take All Politics. To read more information on Fixing Elections, see http://www.fixingelections.com/  Also, an excerpt of Fixing Elections is available online. Steven Hill has also authored a report on "Fixing Elections in North Carolina."

Recent reviews of Fixing Elections have appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the National Civic Review, the Seattle Times and online at Working For Change.

Fixing Elections has been compared to Harvard Professor Thomas Patterson's The Vanishing Voter, which has been reviewed separately.

He also has contributed essays and articles to several other books, including the lead essay (co-authored with his colleague Rob Richie) in Reflecting All of Us.   

Recent News and Media Coverage

2004

North Bay Bohemia (CA): After the Election: Taking the next steps toward Democracy U.S.A." Steven Hill discusses the prospects for electoral reform in a Kerry administration.

Progressive Populist:  "Beyond the 2004 Elections:  Democracy, anyone?"  Steven Hill offers a suggested agenda for the future.  August 2004

In These Times:  "Hindering America's Vote."  An analysis of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).  August 24, 2004

The Prague Post: "Democratic Breakdown."  'Winner take all' system would be a step backward for Czech democracy.  July 15, 2004

The Nation: De-Spoiling the Election.  CVD's Rob Richie and Steven Hill promote fairer elections through the use of IRV.  July 12, 2004.

Op-Ed News.com: Commentary for direction election of the president with IRV. Versions of it have appeared in such publications as the Progressive Populist.  June 22, 2004

San Diego Union-Tribune: "Rigging elections: the hidden scandal of redistricting." Hill and CVD Executive Director Rob Richie expose the results of the US House redistricting system, which allows incumbents to pick their voters before the voters pick them. May 23, 2004.

CommonDreams.org: "Europe leaves the US behind." Hill points out the many European social and political reforms from which  the US could learn. April 29, 2004.

TomPaine.com: "Winner takes all." Hill and CVD Executive Director Rob Richie lament the dangerous precedent set in the Vieth v. Jubelirer redistricting case, decided by the Supreme Court on April 28, 2004. May 5, 2004. 

North County Times (CA): "Top-two primary is a horrible idea." Commentary by Steven Hill and Roy Ulrich exposes failures of the 'top-two' primary system, which allows both final candidates to be drawn from the same party. April 7, 2004

OpEdNews.com: "Ensuring a Fair Presidential Election." Commentary by CVD's Rob Richie and Steven Hill calls for efforts to ensure a fair presidential election. April 14, 2004.

Working for Change: "In memoriam: Wilma Rule (1925-2004). Champion of women's representation." Commentary from CVD's Rob Richie and Steven Hill calls for changes to boost women's representation. March 24, 2004.

Working for Change: "Democrats should lead on electoral reform. Red vs. Blue America leads to paucity of viewpoints, benefits conservatives." March 15, 2004.

Baltimore Sun: "Primary solutions." CVD's Rob Richie and Steven Hill propose reforming presidential primaries. March 2, 2004.

BuzzFlash.com: "Pundits don't grasp how presidential system works." Commentary from CVD's Rob Richie and Steven Hill critiques conventional coverage of presidential elections. February 23, 2004.

Christian Science Monitor: "Reform primaries - include more voters." Commentary from CVD's Rob Richie and Steven Hill calls for reforms to presidential primaries. February 18, 2004.

Knight-Ridder News Wire Service: "Time to fix the presidential primary puzzle." CVD's Rob Richie and Steven Hill discuss reforms for the presidential nominating process. February 6, 2004.

Progressive Populist: "Understanding the Democrats' presidential nomination process." CVD's Steven Hill and Rob Richie explain that all Democratic primaries and caucuses and many Republican primaries and
caucuses are based on the principle of full representation. February 15, 2004.

Baltimore Sun: "How safe is your vote? Doubts will persist until secure, accurate elections become a national priority." Editorial by CVD's Steven Hill and Rob Richie explores the problem of decentralized elections. January 7, 2004.

2003

Baltimore Sun: "How safe is your vote? Doubts will persist until secure, accurate elections become a national priority." Editorial by CVD's Steven Hill and Rob Richie explores the problem of decentralized elections. January 7, 2004.

The Nation: "The Redistricting Wars." CVD's Rob Richie and Steven Hill are quoted prominently in an article about new abuses in partisan gerrymandering. December 11, 2003.

Tompaine.com: "The Gerrymander Moment." CVD's Rob Richie and Steven Hill explain the importance of redistricting and the Vieth v. Jubelirer Supreme Court case. December 8, 2003.

Progressive Populist: "Democracy on the Cheap." CVD leaders suggest that the key lesson from voting equipment controversies is the need to have a strong national commitment to fair and secure elections. December 2003.

Alternet: "The Challenges to Creating a New Democratic Majority." September 25, 2003

Working Change: "Bureaucrats stall IRV in San Francisco: Elected and unelected officials nationwide block reform legislation." September 2, 2003

Progressive Populist: Why Progressives Lose: Affirmative Action for Conservatives." June 2003

Houston Chronicle: "Re-redistricting is an ugly power grab."  Commentary by Steven Hill and Rob Richie which spotlights the next step in the breakdown in traditional redistricting of legislative district lines. June 29, 2003

The State of Democracy in California: Steven Hill Makes Case for Full Representation in California Testimony: Steven Hill provided this testimony to Califronia's commission on implementing the Help America Vote Act. May 8

"Democracy lessons from Scotland and Wales." Steven Hill and Rob Richie explain the significance of recent elections and electoral reforms in Scotland and Wales.  

San Francisco Bay Guardian: Commentary by Chris Ulbrich praises Hill's Fixing Elections. April 30, 2003.

Common Dreams: "Save our democracy, a call to action." Commentary by Steven Hill and Rob Richie discussing the need for electoral reform. April 5, 2003.

Tallahassee Democrat: "Why Congress and the American People Disagree." Commentary by Steven Hill and Rob Richie that appeared in several newspapers March 16, 2003.

Progressive Populist: "Instant Runoff Voting: Win-Win Reform Gathers Steam." Commentary by Steven Hill and Rob Richie tracing the recent attention IRV has received in state and local legislatures as an appropriate and much-needed election reform. March 29, 2003.

Progressive Populist: "How to Enact Progressive Policy." Commentary by Steven Hill and Rob Richie touting election reform as a means to enact progressive social legislation. March 1, 2003.

Progressive Populist: "Forging a Vibrant Democracy." Commentary by Rob Richie and Steven Hill explaining how electoral reform might reassert the democratic traditions passed down from our nation's founders. February 15, 2003.

See/Hear CVD's Steven Hill on Cambridge Forum and Read Collection of Writings: Steven Hill was a lecturer at the Cambridge Forum on Feb. 5, 2003. Hill's lecture can be heard/viewed and articles on this trip to Boston have been collected in a special website.

The American Prospect: "Who's Right Now" Commentary by Steven Hill, suggesting why politics is more progressive in Europe than in America. February 2, 2003.

2002

Santa Fe New Mexican: "The Ups and Downs of European Politics." Commentary by Steven Hill, suggesting that America would benefit from a careful reexamination of democratic institutions in Europe. December 27, 2002.

The Bay Guardian: (CA) "Bye, December runoffs." Commentary by CVD's Steven Hill, followed by Bay Guardian editorial urging City to move forward in implementing IRV in 2003. December 25, 2002.

New York Times: (NY) "America Votes Today. Will You?" Letter to the editor by Steven Hill, suggesting that expected voter behavior in the 2002 elections can be linked to "winner-take-all" elections. November 5, 2002.

LA Times: (CA) "Demography vs. Democracy, Young People Feel Left Out of the Political Process." Commentary by Steven Hill and Rashad Robinson, attributing the politics of "demography" to low voter turnout among the youth and racial minorities. November 5, 2002. 11/05/02

Yale Magazine: Review of "Fixing Elections: The Failure of America's Winner Take All Politics." Yale alumnus David Baker's favorable review of CVD Senior Analyst Steven Hill's new book. November 2002

Houston Chronicle: (TX) "Get your election results here: 99.8% accurate." CVD's Steven Hill and Rob Richie on the predictability of this year's elections. November 3, 2002

TomPaine.com: "Election Reform Finally Limps Into Port." Steven Hill's analysis of the federal election reform bill. October 31, 2002

Charlotte Observer: (NC) "Election results easy to predict." CVD's Steven Hill and Rob Richie explain how redistricting and winner-take-all elections limit voters and democracy. Versions of this column appeared in several newspapers. October 25, 2002

Cleveland Plain Dealer: (OH)  "Voters are electing to stay home." Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist touts Steven Hill's "Fixing Elections." October 6, 2002

CommonDreams.org: "Redistricting Makes Losers Out of All of Us." Commentary by Steven Hill and Rob Richie, recommending electoral alternatives to redistricting, in order to motivate voters. July 8, 2002.

Knight-Ridder Wire: "Curing France's Electoral Problems, and Ours." A series of commentaries by Rob Richie and Steven Hill providing suggestions for possible French electoral reform. May 2002

Chrstian Science Monitor: CVD's Rob Richie and Steven Hill describe the abuses of power that the redistricting process evokes-"Redistricting abuses voter trust." January 7, 2002 

2001

Knight-Ridder Wire: "New computer technology makes redistricting more controversial than ever." Rob Richie and Steven Hill reveal the complications technology brings to the redistricting process. April 6, 2001

Christian Science Monitor: Rob Richie and Steven Hill discuss the consequences of the election problems in FL-"Political Reform: Alive and Ready to Kick." April 6, 2001

The American Prospect: "Should Democracies favor Majority-Minority Districts in the 2001 redistricting?" Steven Hill and Rob Richie discuss majority minority districts. March 7, 2001 

Baltimore Sun: (MD) Rob Richie and Steven Hill suggest instant runoff voting as a way to ensure majority candidates-"Change Elections to Instant Runoff Voting." Jan. 2, 2001

Knight-Ridder Wire:"Winner Take All May Not Be a Winner for Italy." Commentary by Steven Hill questions Italy's motivations for adopting "winner take all" elections. May 21, 2001

Here's a sampling of Steven Hill's articles from 2000:

Social Policy: Winter 2000

The Hartford Courant: (CT) "The case against the electoral college." Nov 9, 2000

The Nation : "If Politics Got Real." October 2000

Roll Call: "Blanket Primary Has Other Solutions." July 24, 2000

Daily Special: "Reflecting All of Us." Februrary 10, 2000

Here's a sampling of other articles from the 1990s:

"Jesse Helms vs. Carol Mosley-Braun: The case for modernizing an outdated institution"

"Reigning in Attack Politics."

"Without McCain, will independents turnout?"

San Francisco Conference Sept 12-18 1998

"Get your election results right here!"

"The real tragedy of Sen. Feinstein's withdrawal from the governor's race"

"A cheaper, better way than runoffs"

"PR puts up a good fight in San Francisco"

"Some lessons on the mechanics of democracy"


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