Innovative Plan to Win Popular Election of the President Launched

On February 23, FairVote’s chairman John Anderson joined Sen. Birch Bayh (D-IN), Rep. John Buchanan (R-AL) and other supporters of an important new campaign to elect the president by a national popular vote.

National Popular Vote, backed by FairVote, Common Cause and a bipartisan group of former Members of Congress, presented at the National Press Club an innovative plan for states representing a majority of Americans to join together in an agreement to collectively award their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote. States have exclusive power over how to allocate electors. FairVote also released an impressive, ground-breaking new report:Presidential Elections Inequality. Copies are available online and for purchase.

[ Learn more at National Popular Vote’s website ]
[ Sen. Birch Bayh on C-Span’s Washington Journal ]
[ New Yorker commentary on the plan ]
[ FairVote op-ed from Sacramento Bee ]
[ FairVote’s new report: Presidential Elections Inequality ]

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 ]

DNC Commission on Presidential Nomination Takes Half Step in the Right Direction

American Plan Will be Examined Down the Road

Presidential nomination reformers were given a little reason to celebrate this holiday season.  On Saturday December 10th, the DNC commission on presidential nomination timing and scheduling met for it’s final meeting to approve the report it will submit to the full DNC next spring.

For 2008 they suggest the mild step of including two to four extra states in the pre-window now used by just Iowa and New Hampshire.  This is a victory for many who correctly note these two northern states fail to represent the diverse nature of the American population.  Still, the reality is we are likely to have the nomination locked up by early February 2008.

The most promising section of the report looks ahead to 2012.  Members unanimously agreed the schedule should be pushed later into the year and drawn out rather than truncated.  To this end the commission agreed their party should consider a comprehensive change for 2012 and specifically suggests examining the American Plan, the primary reform proposal endorsed by FairVote.

[more about the American Plan]

FairVote Releases New Report

Campaign Spending Analysis Underscores Need for Electoral College Reform