Note--to add yourself to the FairVote Rhode Island email list, send a message with the subject line "Subscribe" to [email protected].Dear
Friends—
In
just days Rhode Island will hold its primary election. In just over two
months the nation votes on a new president, and Rhode Island will
select its General Assembly. This year all eyes are on elections--andFairVote
RIis pushing for reform. Things are also changing around the office, with
a new director and a newly constituted Board of Advisors. Read on to
find out how you can get informed and take action.
1. 2008 FairVote RI Candidate Survey Online
2. FairVote RI Director Ari Savitzky Moves On, But Will Stay On
3. FairVote Continues to Push for Pre-Registration, NPV
4. Take Action!
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1. 2008 FairVote RI Candidate Survey Online: After
mailing questionnaires to every ballot-qualified candidate for General
Assembly in Rhode Island, FairVote is making it official: our
first-ever
candidate survey is online and ready to go.
Click hereto see how candidates in your district weighed in on questions ranging
from the national popular vote for presidential elections to the
single-party lever.
Don't forget: Rhode Island's primary election is September 9, and
the general election is November 4. The registration deadline for the
general election--which includes the presidential vote--is October 4.
2. FairVote RI Director Ari Savitzky Moves On, But Will Stay On: A
hearty
round of congratulations is in order for outgoing FairVote Rhode
Island director Ari Savitzky, who is moving on to New York University
School of Law. Savitzky, who can still be reached by emailing [email protected], has been director of FairVote's Rhode Island chapter since August 2007.
Ari's
replacement, new director Matt Sledge, had this to say about his
tenure: "When you walk into the State House with Ari, everybody knows
his name, and for good reason. He's smart, he's politically savvy, and
above all he's passionately dedicated to electoral reform. Ari deserves
a lot of credit for the impressive work he did, along with the other
members of our coalitions, on both the national popular vote and youth
voter pre-registration bills. I've heard some of the state's top
politicians saying the same thing."
Even from afar, Savitzky will still be deeply involved in the
operations of FairVote RI, as a member of FairVote Rhode Island's Board
of Advisors. In one of his first official actions as Chairman of the
Board, Ari and Senator Lincoln Chafee co-authored a Providence Journal
editorial in favor of the national popular vote.
Read it here.
Sledge, a graduate of Brown University who has trained to take the
position since April, said he was excited to follow in Savitzky's
footsteps. "We have big plans for FairVote Rhode Island this
year--including a dramatic expansion of our youth education program,
and key organizational development steps. None of them would be
possible without Ari's leadership this past year."
3. FairVote Continues to Push for Pre-Registration, NPV:FairVote continues to push for both youth voter pre-registration and
the national popular vote to directly elect the president. See the full
range of legislative measures we support online here.
4. Take Action!The governor vetoed youth voter pre-registration and the national
popular vote, but the fight is not over. A veto override session at the
State House could be called any day--and when it happens, we'll need
your help. Email
[email protected] to volunteer, or call 401.429.6059.
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Thanks for taking the time to read the
FairVote Rhode Island August/September Update. I'm happy to work with
you for democracy reform in Rhode Island, especially in this exciting
election year. With your help, we can make our state a better place to
vote.
Best,
Matt Sledge
Director/FairVote RI
[email protected]
