A U.S. District Court on February 9 ordered the city of Martin (SD) to implement cumulative voting for city council elections. The six-member, at-large council will be elected three at a time. Each voter will have three votes, which they can allocate any way they wish.

The order is to ensure the city's sizable Native American population, protected under the federal Voting Rights Act, has the opportunity to elect candidates of choice. Despite comprising over a third of Martin residents and a third of voters at the last election, geographically dispersed Native Americans have consistently failed to win representation in the city's district system.

Cumulative voting has been a successful remedy in similar cases from Amarillo (TX) to Peoria (IL). Illinois used cumulative voting to elect its House of Representatives from 1870 to 1980.

[ More on cumulative voting ]
[ South Dakota uses of cumulative voting ]

The National Popular Vote compact passed 5-0 through the Hawaii Senate's Judiciary and Labor Committee on February 6. Ten state representatives introduced it in the House there in January. On February 14, NPV passed the state senate 19-4. Hawaii is one of 46 states in which the bill is sponsored.

Hawaii also led the nation in implementing another FairVote-backed proposal that is gathering rapidly growing support: a uniform advance voter registration age of 16.

Back on the mainland, Maryland Delegate Sheila Hixson has sponsored the plan in that state, with a ringing endorsement in the Takoma Voice. Meanwhile National Popular Vote has launched a new website with an interactive map allowing visitors to track progress. NPV also has secured key endorsements from the National Caucus of Black State Legislators and National Latino Congreso.

NEW: [ HI bill clears state senate 19-4 ]
[ Read FairVote director Rob Richie's testimony to the HI legislature ]
[ Read Del. Hixson's endorsement ]
[ Track NPV's progress at nationalpopularvote.com ]
[ FairVote's pages on NPV, including formal endorsers ]
[ More on uniform advance registration ]