It’s been a busy month for FairVote, our democracy, and the case for our
reforms – including worsening polarization leading to the second credit
downgrade in our nation’s history, and ongoing redistricting sagas in Alabama
and Wisconsin that point to the need for long-term reform through the Fair
Representation Act.
DEAR {{SMARTNAME}},
It’s been a busy month for FairVote, our democracy, and the case for our reforms
– including worsening polarization leading to thesecond credit downgradein our
nation’s history, and ongoing redistricting sagas inAlabamaand Wisconsin that
point to the need for long-term reform through the Fair Representation Act. It’s
no surprise that election reform continues to sweep the nation – aBallotpedia
article published yesterday finds that the number of pro-ranked choice voting
bills introduced in state legislatures more than doubled from 2022 to 2023.

AN UPDATE FROM ROB
Before we dive into the great work our team is doing, I wanted to share a
personal update: On November 1, I will step down as President and CEO of
FairVote and take on a new full-time Senior Advisor role within the
organization.

I encourage you to read myfull note on theFairVote website, as well as that of
Board member Purnima Chawla, our outgoing Board Chair.

As I mention in my note, the Board and I have been discussing succession
planning for years, and decided this is exactly the right time to act – our
reform movement is strong, our staff is driving excellent work, we’re early in
our strategic planning process for the rest of the decade, and I’m eager to
leverage my experience toward what I do best at this time of great need and
opportunity for reform. I’m profoundly optimistic about what we can achieve
together to seek a more perfect union. Nationally, this coming decade holds the
promise of sweeping change through advocacy for ranked choice voting and
progress toward advancing the Fair Representation Act for Congressional
elections.

Lan Nguyen, our Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer (and today’s
email co-signer!) will continue her strong work as Acting CEO, while the Board
initiates a thorough and thoughtful search process for a permanent leader.
Danielle Allen – a current Board member, Harvard political philosopher and
leading reform voice – has accepted a two-year term as our new Board Chair, and
will lead the search process in that role. More information on the transition
and search is available onour website.

And before we get back to regular email programming, I want to take a moment to
thank all of you for your support over the years – we have achieved so much
together, with so much more to come. I look forward to continuing our work
together in my new role!

THE CASE FOR REFORM GROWS STRONGER
Last week, Fitch RatingsdowngradedAmerica’s long-term credit for the second time
in history (and the first time in Fitch’s history), citing “a steady
deterioration in standards of governance over the last 20 years.” Consider this
year’s debt-ceiling standoff, where the government came within hours of economic
catastrophe.

Meanwhile, two years after the redistricting cycle began, Alabama is brazenly
defyinga Supreme Court order to give Black residents fair representation in its
congressional map, while Wisconsin isfacing a new lawsuitover its state
legislative maps.

It’s no wonderonly10% of Americanssay democracy is working very or extremely
well, according to the latest Associated Press-NORC Center poll.

As these stories unfold, FairVote is making the case for structural reforms like
ranked choice votingand theFair Representation Actthat can incentivize
politicians to work for the good of all of us.

“Ranked choice voting would encourage members of Congress to engage with all
citizens, because they’d need more than just a minority of their base to keep
their job. And while ranked choice voting would be an important step toward
decreasing polarization, the Fair Representation Act has the potential to
transform our politics – and incentivize the House to solve problems that most
voters want solved.” – Yates Wilburn, FairVote State Communications Associate

And as FairVote’s Ryan Suto wrote inan analysisof Alabama’s new congressional
map:

“This abuse of legal processes to undermine constitutional rights is not
sustainable in a healthy democracy. Yet fundamental flaws in our electoral
system… reward such behavior. These fundamental flaws require fundamental
solutions: The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Fair
Representation Act, both due for re-introduction later this year, would prevent
states from so easily denying a fair voice to Black communities or other
marginalized groups.”

MORE UPDATES: SUPREME COURT WEBINAR & PUTRCVONIT
Last week, we held an all-star webinar aboutThe Supreme Court and Election
Reform, featuring a diverse panel of legal experts. FairVote Senior Fellow
Terrance Carroll and Senior Legal Fellow G. Michael Parsons, Harvard Professor
Guy-Uriel Charles, University of Baltimore Professor Gilda Daniels, and Chris
Shenton of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice discussed the latest
developments in election cases and where we go from here. The full recording is
linked above, and available on ourYouTube channel.

We also launched a new series of analyses called “PutRCVOnIt,” where we discuss
how ranked choice voting works in conjunction with, and improves, other election
reforms. Keep an eye out for posts on mail-in voting, redistricting reform,
fusion voting, and more!

Here’s an excerpt from the first post in the series from FairVote’s Rachel
Hutchinson, about howranked choice voting improves nonpartisan primaries:

“Nonpartisan primaries are stronger when ranked choice voting is used in the
primary and/or general election. RCV gives voters a wider range of choices, and
allows them to vote honestly. RCV ensures that nominees and winners represent
the consensus of the electorate, and prevents vote-splitting that can otherwise
shut a major party out of the general election.”

Thank you for your continued support for FairVote and election reform. With your
help, we will close this summer out strong!

Sincerely,
Rob Richie and Lan Nguyen

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