Robert Richie - Executive Director
Robert RichieAn expert on international and domestic elections and electoral reform, Rob Richie has directed FairVote since its founding in 1992. Among his activities at FairVote, Richie has:

* been a guest on many radio and television programs, including C-SPAN, NBC News, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, NPR's "Talk of the Nation", "All things Considered" and "Fresh Air" and been a frequent source for print, radio and television journalists;

* published commentary in such publications as New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Roll Call, Nation, National Civic Review, Boston Review, Christian Science Monitor and Legal Times;

* co-authored two books, Every Vote Equal (2006) and Whose Votes Count (2001) and had his writings appear in seven other books;

 * Spoken to scores of organizations, including at the annual conventions of the American Political Science Association, National Association of Counties, National Association of Secretaries of state, Unitarian Universalists and National Conference of State Legislatures and to the Voting Section of the U. S. Department of Justice, the Lincoln Day dinners of the Alaska Republican Party in Juneau and Anchorage and several groups of foreign dignitaries through the United States Information Agency;

 * Worked with congressional and state legislative staff in writing numerous pieces of legislation;

 * Testified in special sessions before charter commissions in cities in New York, Florida, Ohio, Texas and Michigan and before state legislative committees in Alaska, Vermont, Virginia and Washington;

 * Helped organize eight well-attended national conferences on electoral system reform and worked with hundreds of state reformers supporting fair election methods;

 * Toured New Zealand at the invitation of electoral reformers during a successful referendum campaign in that country in 1993 to adopt a proportional voting system; and

* edited FairVote's publications, such as its bi-annual analyses of congressional elections that have received prominent news coverage around the nation.

Born in Washington, D.C. in 1962, Richie graduated from Haverford College with a B.A. in philosophy in 1987. Before co-founding FairVote and becoming its director in 1992, he worked for three winning congressional campaigns in Washington state and for non-profit organizations in Washington and the District of Columbia.  He is married to Cynthia Terrell and is the father of three children: Savanna, Lucas and Rebecca.

You can reach Rob Richie at: rr (AT) fairvote (DOT) org

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Articles by Rob Richie
June 29th 2009
The Case for a Diverse Bench -- and Congress
Roll Call

In the midst of the heated rhetoric surrounding Judge Sonia Sotomayor's potential ascension to the Supreme Court, it's time to ask how much we value fair representation, particularly of women.

June 17th 2009
Instant Runoff Elections are a Vote for Civility
Yes! Magazine

Fair Vote's Executive Director, Rob Richie, explains how IRV is greatly benefiting the election process of Burlington, Vermont.

May 21st 2009
Herbkersman, Richie: Time to run off runoffs
The State

Runoffs after primaries can mean big plunges in voter turnout. Rob Richie and SC State Rep. Bill Herbkersman explain how IRV can achieve both majority consensus and eliminate separate, expensive runoffs.

May 17th 2009
Why states should adopt the National Popular Vote plan for president
San Diego Union-Tribune

FairVote's Rob Richie writes that the Electoral College deepens political inequality, and explains why the National Popular Vote plan is our best opportunity to ensure that every vote for president is equally valued.

May 5th 2009
Larry R. Bradley and Rob Richie: To increase voter turnout, try a more efficient election process
Omaha World-Herald

Op-ed by author Larry Bradley and FairVote Executive Director Rob Richie on why Omaha should dump its low turnout primaries in favor of instant runoff voting.

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