This month, democracies ranging from economic superpowers to those
conducting elections for the first time in decades, conducted elections using proportional voting
systems. These
elections, including those conducted in Japan, Germany, New
Zealand, Afghanistan, and Poland provide clear lessons for the United States in demonstrating
how a switch to a proportional voting system might solve some of the
common political problems we face, such as under-representation of
women, communities of color, and the full range of the political
spectrum, as well as limited voter choice and poor voter participation.
[Read FairVote's Analysis of 2005 International Proportional Voting Elections]
In a representative democracy, the right of decision belongs to the majority, but the right to representation belongs to all. FairVote advocates for adoption of proportional voting systems for local and state elections, and for an informed debate about their merits for congressional elections.
Proportional Voting Elections Held Around the World
Results Hold Clear Lessons for U.S. Reform
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From California to Ohio, Redistricting Reform Heads to November Ballot
FairVote's Redistricting Reform Watch 2005 Analyzes the Impact of State Proposals
With the aftershocks of Rep. Tom Delay's mid-decade redistricting of
Texas' Congressional delegation continuing to be felt around the nation,
reformers are scrambling to implement redistricting reform proposals.
Most recently grassroots groups in California and Ohio successfully
gathered enough signatures to place independent redistricting proposals
before voters in upcoming November elections.
Over time FairVote has consistently backed non-partisan redistricting criteria, but we believe the process should not end there, as competitive races and increased representation of women and communities of color requires more than just a neutral line-drawing process. Alternatives, such as proportional voting, need to be considered in tandem with redistricting reform, and in the least, reform proposals should not preclude the later use of these public interest electoral systems. In that spirit, our new Redistricting Reform Watch 2005 Center analyzes the effects of the various state proposals on proportional voting plans, competitiveness, and other public interest criteria. [Redistricting Reform Watch 2005] [Redistricting Reform through California Superdistricts] |
FairVote's First Annual 'Celebration' for the Father of Gerrymandering
On July 20, 2005, Rep. John Tanner and fellow sponsors of the Fairness
and
Independence in Redistricting Act met at the Capitol to "gerrymander" a
cake in honor the birthday of Elbridge Gerry. Gerry, former
Massachusetts Governor and 5th Vice President of the United States, is
credited as the
source of the term "gerrymandering."
The bill has received bipartisan support from more than thirty House Members. Speakers at FairVote's event included Tennesse's Tanner (D), Jim Cooper (D), and Zach Wamp (R), as well as Oregon's Earl Blumenauer (D), Florida's Allen Boyd (D), California's Jim Costa (D), Louisiana's Charlie Melancon (D), Ed Davis of Common Cause and FairVote's John Anderson and Rob Richie. [ See pictures from the event ] [ Read FairVote's Press Release ] [ More on the Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act ] |