Cincinnati to vote on proportional representation:

Endorsements grow in effort to restore choice voting

Cincinnati, Ohio will vote in November on bringing back the ranked choice voting form of proportional representation for city council elections. The city currently uses a winner-take-all system that too often shuts out new voices from council, leading to a citizen's initiative this summer that turned in more than 15,000 signatures. Better Ballot Cincinnati has impressive support, including some of the city's most respected political leaders, Common Cause, ACORN and other civic groups from across the spectrum. On September 20th, the measure picked up the editorial support of the Cincinnati Business Courier.

FairVote's founding meeting was in Cincinnati in 1992 and it has deep roots and connections in the city. We are working closely with local backers to make sure they have all the information they need for this historic campaign.

Better Ballot Cincinnati
Cincinnati Business Courier Editorial

Universal Voter Registration and a Constitutional Right to Vote

FairVote-backed reforms earns support from key allies

FairVote operates from a simple premise: we must find ways to ensure that all Americans have secure voting rights and every vote should matter. In that spirit, we helped draft HJR 28, a proposal to establish a right to vote in the U.S. Constitution and for years have called for universal voter registration to provide full and accurate voter rolls. Two weighty reform allies have issued important new reports calling for action: the Advancement Project's In Pursuit of an Affirmative Right to Vote examines the need to amend the U.S. Constitution in order to explicitly guarantee that all citizens have a fair, equal, and inclusive voice in our democracy, and the Brennan Center has issued a potential roadmap to universal voter registration.

The Summer 2008 National Civic Review has an article co-authored by FairVote's Rob Richie and David Moon with former intern Usman Ahmed on how cities could boost the effort for a constitutional right to vote.

[Brennan Center's Universal Voter Registration: A Policy Summary]
[Advancement Project's In Pursuit of an Affirmative Right to Vote]
[FairVote on universal voter registration]
[FairVote on a Constitutional Right to Vote]
[Abstract of National Civic Review]
[More on Municipal Right to Vote strategy]
NEW [Commentary on a Right to Vote by FairVote]
NEW [Commentary on a Right to Vote by the Advancement Project]