FairVote and California Common Cause File Amicus Defending State Voting Rights Act

California Democrats Endorse the American Plan

Biggest state in the nation gives clarion call for a voice in presidential primaries

The 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 ]

California Legislators Call for Citizens Assembly on Electoral Systems

Bipartisan support for citizens to consider putting proportional voting on ballot

Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike are citing the need for broad reforms, such as proportional voting, to overhaul the state's broken electoral system. Members of the California Assembly plan to introduce legislation in 2006 that would create a representative body of 80 citizens from all over the state to study election problems. The citizens would make recommendations that would either be adopted legislatively or submitted as a ballot initiative to face voters.

FairVote has long advocated such a plan for California, as it would avoid the accusations of partisan motivations that clung to all sides of the recent redistricting reform debate.

The bipartisan proposal for a citizens assembly also received early support from California's New America Foundation, which pushed for a similar model based on the success an assembly in British Columbia. There, the assembly ultimately recommended choice voting.

[ Article on the proposed citizens assembly ]
[ Article on the legislation ]
[ FairVote's Proposal for a California citizens assembly ]
[ Information on the British Columbia citizens assembly ]
[ Bill information for ACA 28/Citizens Assembly on Electoral Systems Act ]