FairVote Staff Testimony
From time to time, FairVote staff are asked to testify before federal and state congressional and senate committees. We hope this testimony will be useful for research purposes or to better understand our positions on pieces of legislation.

Maryland Assembly Early Voting Bill: On February 24, 2005 FairVote Program Associate Andrew Kirshenbaum testified in front of the Maryland Assembly regarding H.B. 1046, a proposed bill to permit early voting at election sites in Maryland.

Preserving Democracy - What Went Wrong in Ohio: FairVote's Executive Director Rob Richie submits written testimony to Congressman John Conyers and others Members of the House Judiciary Committee concering voting irregularities in Ohio during the 2004 presidential election and offers suggestions for electoral reforms to improve the overall quality and security of the voting process.

S.A.V.E. Hearing on Youth Voting Rights: FairVote's Right to Vote Director Adam Fogel testified before a distinguished panel of EAC Commissioners, voting rights advocates and elections experts about his experience as a State Field Director for a national voter registration project in 2006 and reforms that would increase access for young people. The Student Association for Voter Empowerment (S.A.V.E.) coordinated and sponsored the hearing.

Maryland General Assembly--Uniform Voter Registration Age: On February 13 & 14, 2008, FairVote Right to Vote Director Adam Fogel testified before the Maryland Senate's Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee in favor of SB 92 & HB 310, bills setting a uniform voter registration age of 16-years-old.

Maryland General Assembly--Election Day Registration
: FairVote Right to Vote Director Adam Fogel and Common Cause Maryland Executive Director Ryan O'Donnell present written testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee in support of HB 801, a bill that would allow Marylanders to register and vote at the same time on Election Day.

California General Assembly--Automatic Voter Registration: The New America Foundation's Political Reform Program Director Steven Hill testifies in favor of AB 2371, a California bill that would automatically register citizens to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles and though state tax forms.

Pennsylvania House State Government Committee--17-year-old Primary Voting
: FairVote Right to Vote Director Adam Fogel testified before the Pennsylvania House of Representatives State Government Committee and over 100 young people in attendance in favor of allowing 17-year-olds to vote in the primary election if they will be 18 on or before the general election.

Maryland Senate--Uniform Voter Registration Age: FairVote Right to Vote Director Adam Fogel testified before the Maryland Senate's Education, Health & Environmental Affairs Committee in favor of setting a uniform voter registration age of 16-years-old.

D.C. City Council Committee on Government Operations and the Environment: FairVote Right to Vote Director Adam Fogel testified in favor of a sweeping election reform bill that includes a series of FairVote-endorsed policies, including youth pre-registration, 17-year-old primary voting, Election Day Registration and a feasibility study for Automatic Voter Registration.
 
Recent Articles
October 19th 2009
Mandatory Voting? Automatic Registration? How Un-American!
Huffington Post

President of Air America Media, Mark Green, explains why Instant Runoff Voting, Automatic Registration and Mandatory Voting are not only important but could lead to a more democratic society.

September 30th 2009
Can a 17-year-old register to vote? It depends
Ventura County Star

"Most Californians register to vote not because a political cause has touched their heart, but rather because they checked a box on a form at the Department of Motor Vehicles when they received or renewed their driver�s license."

September 27th 2009
Giving teens a civic voice
The Fayetteville Observer

In January, North Carolina will become the third state to implement FairVote-endorsed youth preregistration.

September 8th 2009
Give voters final say on vacancies
Politico

The two legislators proposing a constitutional amendment mandating elections to fill Senate vacancies make their case in the pages of Politico.