Everyone's vote should be equal when electing the president, no matter where they live. FairVote is a leader in the campaign to establish a national popular vote for president, and recommends that political parties establish a schedule and rules to promote all states having a meaningful vote in nomination contests.


California Democrats Endorse the American Plan
Biggest state in the nation gives clarion call for a voice in presidential primaries
California FlagThe Democratic Party of California formally endorsed a plan aimed at more voters having influence in the choice of their party's presidential candidate. The American Plan, which was the only alternaitve explicitly mentioned in the DNC's Commission on Presidential Nomination Timing and Scheduling 2005 report, has been steadily gathering enthusiasm in California where grassroots supporters have been attracting attention to the plan one county committee after another. The state party's decision to back the plan is the first state party to take this bold step, though the Young Democrats of America endorsed the American Plan in 2005.

Unlike our current front-loaded primary schedule, the American Plan combines random order with increasing state size to yield a schedule that gives many more people the chance to play a meaningful role in choosing presidential nominees. FairVote was the first national organization to endorse the plan and has helped boost it with writing and outreach.

[ About American Plan ]
[ FairVote oped in the Manchester Times Union ]


 


Fuzzy Math Report

Presidential Elections Inequality Report
August 10th 2009
Commentary: A cure for the political nomination process
Cleveland Plain Dealer

FairVote's Rob Richie and Paul Fidalgo offer a way to give everyone a say in presidential nominations while retaining the valuable state-by-state evaluation process. This piece also ran in McClatchy's newswire.

July 13th 2009
Albatross of U.S. democracy
Indianapolis Star

FairVote research is cited in support of the National Popular Vote plan in Indiana, because "every vote cast for president should be equally important and equally coveted, whether it originates in California, Connecticut or Crawfordsville."

July 9th 2009
Winner-take-all can elect a second-place president
San Diego Union-Tribune

The founder of National Popular Vote lays out the shortcomings and injustices of the Electoral College system, and shows why the National Popular Vote plan is the right solution.

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 14th 2009
Let's Make Every Vote Count
The Nation

Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor of the Nation magazine, highlights FairVote's research in an important piece on the "broad support" growing in the states for the National Popular Vote plan to elect the president.