Form 990 for tax year 2022

Totals

Total revenue

$4,775,903

Total expenses

$5,352,841

Contributions and grants received

$4,325,106

Grants paid

$305,000

Program service revenue

$116,423

Investment income

$33,016

Other revenue

$301,358

Total assets, end of year

$3,777,821

Total liabilities, end of year

$301,336

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$3,476,485

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$3,761,127

Management and general expenses

$1,048,837

Fundraising expenses

$542,877

Program service expenses (Part III)

$3,761,127

Program services were 70.3% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2022

• FAIRVOTE HAS GROWN TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE MOMENT. IN 2022, FV: EXPANDED ITS STAFF TO MORE THAN 25 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES AND ITS BUDGET BY 40%; LAUNCHED A NEW WEBSITE; STARTED NEW PLANNING, MEASUREMENT, EVALUATION, AND LEARNING BEST PRACTICES ACROSS ALL STAFF WORK PLANS; HELD ITS FIRST IN-PERSON BOARD MEETINGS AND IN-PERSON ALL STAFF RETREAT SINCE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN.FOLLOWING ARE HIGHLIGHTS FROM ITS EXTENSIVE PROGRAM IMPACT:MEDIA AND ENDORSEMENTS:-A 2021 MEDIA AUDIT AFFIRMED RCV AS THE FASTEST-GROWING ELECTION REFORM IN THE COUNTRY WITH AN OVERWHELMING 77% POSITIVE QUOTE SHARE - MEANING POSITIVE QUOTES ON RCV OUTNUMBERED NEGATIVE QUOTES ON RCV BY MORE THAN A 3:1 MARGIN. FAIRVOTE WAS THE SINGLE MOST QUOTED AND CITED SOURCE IN THE MEDIA ON RCV. WHILE A SIMILAR AUDIT WAS NOT CONDUCTED IN 2022, ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE THROUGH MEDIA TRACKING SUGGESTS A SIMILAR RATIO.-FAIRVOTE AND/OR FAIRVOTE ALLIES WERE FEATURED IN AT LEAST SIX CABLE/TV NEWS SHOWS IN SUPPORT OF RCV, WITH TALKING POINTS USED BY ANOTHER 56+ CABLE CONTRIBUTORS. FAIRVOTE AND/OR FAIRVOTE STAFF WERE QUOTED MORE THAN 125 TIMES IN MAJOR NEWS OUTLETS IN 2022, INCLUDING NEARLY EVERY MAJOR NATIONAL PUBLICATION, TYPICALLY EXPLAINING AND EDUCATING AUDIENCES ABOUT THE MERITS OF RCV OR THE FAIR REPRESENTATION ACT.-RCV, ONE OF FAIRVOTE'S TWO PRIORITY AREAS OF REFORM, WAS ENDORSED BY 19 OUTLETS ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN 2022. SEVERAL TOP OUTLETS, SUCH AS THE NEW YORK TIMES, WENT SO FAR AS TO ENDORSE THE PROPORTIONAL FORM OF RCV, THE GOLD STANDARD OF REPRESENTATION. RCV HAS BEEN THE GO-TO RESOURCE FOR MANY OF THESE EDITORIAL WRITERS.NATIONAL DIALOGUE ABOUT BETTER ELECTIONS:-FAIRVOTE LAUNCHED A SERIES OF COLLEGE CAMPUS EVENTS, INCLUDING AT LEAST SEVEN IN 2022 ON THE TOPICS OF RANKED CHOICE VOTING (RCV) AND THE PROPORTIONAL FORM OF RCV IN MULTI-MEMBER DISTRICTS. IN PARALLEL, FAIRVOTE STAFF MEMBER AND BESTSELLING AUTHOR DAVE DALEY ATTENDED MULTIPLE EVENTS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES: SMITH COLLEGE, EMORY UNIVERSITY, BARD, AND THE BROOKLYN COLLEGE OF LAW. MANY OF THESE EVENTS WERE IN CONVERSATION WITH LEADING PEOPLE WITHIN THE REFORM WORLD, SUCH AS CAROL ANDERSON OR JEFF WICE, AND WERE DESIGNED TO DEEPEN SUPPORT AMONG THOUGHT LEADERS AND INFLUENCERS FOR ELECTION REFORMS AS SOLUTIONS TO POLARIZATION-DRIVEN DYSFUNCTION. FAIRVOTE ALSO HELPED ORGANIZE AND SPEAK AT EVENTS AT YALE, HAVERFORD COLLEGE, WILLIAM AND MARY AND HARVARD UNIVERSITY'S ASH CENTER.-CONTRACTOR AND FORMER STAFF MEMBER DREW PENROSE COMPLETED A DETAILED BOOK ON THE PROPORTIONAL FORM OF RCV THAT WILL BE PUBLISHED ONLINE IN 2023. -FAIRVOTE LAUNCHED DEMOCRACYSOS SUBSTACK AS AN AVENUE FOR CURRENT AND PAST FV STAFF AND BOARD MEMBERS TO LIFT UP ANALYSIS DRIVING INTEREST IN THE RCV, THE FAIR REPRESENTATION ACT, AND OTHER IMPACTFUL ELECTION REFORMS.-FAIRVOTE'S WEBSITE IS AMONG THE TOP RESULTS OF NATIONAL SEARCHES ON SEVERAL CORE DEMOCRACY TERMS AND PROVIDES THE DEFINITIVE SET OF RESOURCES ON RCV. FAIRVOTE UNVEILED A NEW WEBSITE IN 2022 THAT IS MORE USER-FRIENDLY AND EFFECTIVE.RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS: FAIRVOTE PUBLISHED THE FOLLOWING REPORTS IN 2022. ITS FINDINGS AND RESULTING WINS FOR RCV ARE AVAILABLE BELOW:-PRIMARY RUNOFF ELECTIONS AND DECLINE IN VOTER TURNOUT, 1994-2022. FAIRVOTE'S ONGOING BIANNUAL REPORT ON RUNOFF ELECTIONS FINDS THAT RUNOFFS TYPICALLY HAVE A 40% DECLINE IN TURNOUT WITH DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACTS FOR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. THIS REPORT MAKES THE CASE FOR WHY RUNOFF CITIES AND STATES SHOULD SWITCH TO SINGLE-ROUND RUNOFFS WITH RCV. IT INCLUDES A COMPREHENSIVE DATABASE OF OVER 200 RUNOFF ELECTIONS THAT IS FREQUENTLY CITED AND HAS BEEN A SOURCE FOR POLICYMAKERS.-AN ANALYSIS OF STATEWIDE ELECTION RECOUNTS, 2000-2022: THIS BIANNUAL REPORT HAS BECOME THE GO-TO RESOURCE FOR JOURNALISTS AND CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND ACTUAL AND PROSPECTIVE STATEWIDE RECOUNT ELECTIONS AND HAS BEEN A RESOURCE FOR POLICYMAKERS ESTABLISHING EFFECTIVE RECOUNT LAWS.-FEWEST VOTES WIN: PLURALITY VICTORIES IN 2022 PRIMARIES: THIS REPORT EXAMINES HOW CANDIDATES CAN ADVANCE TO GENERAL ELECTIONS WITHOUT MAJORITY SUPPORT FROM THEIR PRIMARY ELECTORATES, AND MAKES THE CASE FOR WHY RCV IS NEEDED TO STRENGTHEN PARTIES AND ADVANCE STRONG PRIMARY NOMINEES. -WHY THREE AND FIVE-MEMBER DISTRICTS ARE IDEAL FOR THE FAIR REPRESENTATION ACT: THIS PAPER EXPLORES THE IDEAL DISTRICT MAGNITUDE FOR MULTI-MEMBER DISTRICTS UNDER THE FAIR REPRESENTATION ACT. IT GROWS FAIRVOTE'S REPUTATION AS A THOUGHT LEADER IN ITS FIELD.-RCV IN VIRGINIA: A CONSERVATIVE SOLUTION FOR PARTY NOMINATIONS. THIS REPORT EXPLORES THE USES OF RCV BY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF VIRGINIA IN 2020, 2021, AND 2022, AND PROVIDES RECOMMENDATIONS AND BEST PRACTICES FOR FUTURE RCV IMPLEMENTATIONS. THE VIRGINIA GOP CASE DEMONSTRATES THAT RCV CAN UNITE THE PARTY BEHIND NOMINEES WITH BROAD SUPPORT, DELIVER STRONG CONSENSUS WINNERS, APPEAL TO VOTERS, AND PROVIDE TRANSPARENCY AND LEGITIMACY TO THE NOMINATING PROCESS. -BALLOT USAGE ANALYSIS AND DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RCV ELECTIONS. THIS REPORT ANALYZES PATTERNS OF BALLOT USE AND DEVELOPS NEW RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BALLOT DESIGN FOR POLICYMAKERS AND ELECTION ADMINISTRATORS. -MONOPOLY POLITICS 2022. PRODUCED EVERY TWO YEARS SINCE 1997, FAIRVOTE'S MONOPOLY POLITICS ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATES THAT PARTISANSHIP IS THE DRIVING FACTOR BEHIND CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS. THIS REPORT PRESENTS FAIRVOTE'S FULL 2022 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PROJECTIONS AND METHODOLOGY, EXAMINES DECADES-LONG TRENDS IN INCUMBENT ADVANTAGE AND CROSSOVER REPRESENTATIVES, AND PRESENTS THE FAIR REPRESENTATION ACT AS THE SOLUTION TO THE DYSFUNCTION IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. -BEST PRACTICES FOR RELEASING RCV ELECTIONS RESULTS. THIS REPORT ANALYZES HUNDREDS OF RCV ELECTIONS TO CREATE A SET OF BEST PRACTICES FOR ELECTION ADMINISTRATORS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS TO RELEASE RCV RESULTS IN A WAY THAT IS CLEAR AND TRANSPARENT. -RCV FINDS SUCCESS IN UTAH IN 2021. THIS REPORT EXAMINES THE FIRST-TIME RCV USE IN TWENTY UTAH CITIES IN 2021 AND FINDS EVIDENCE THAT ELECTION WINNERS HAD BROAD SUPPORT, VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY USED THE OPTION TO RANK, AND VOTERS LIKED RCV. THIS REPORT IS A ROADMAP FOR OTHER STATES WHO COULD FOLLOW UTAH'S EXAMPLE.-DUBIOUS DEMOCRACY 2022. THIS ONGOING BIANNUAL REPORT SCORES STATES ON A VARIETY OF MEASURES RELATED TO HEALTHY ELECTIONS. BECAUSE FAIRVOTE HAS CONTINUOUSLY TRACKED THESE STATISTICS OVER TIME, THIS REPORT SERVES AS A RESOURCE FOR ADVOCATES, POLICYMAKERS, AND ACADEMICS.SUPPORT FOR CIVIC REFORM ALLIES: FAIRVOTE PROVIDED RESEARCH AND COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT TO STATE AND LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT ELEVATE CONVERSATION ABOUT BETTER ELECTIONS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. FOR EXAMPLE:-LEGAL ROUNDTABLE: FAIRVOTE BUILT OUT A LEGAL ROUNDTABLE MADE UP OF THE CAMPAIGN LEGAL CENTER, PROTECT DEMOCRACY, REPRESENTUS, THE RCV RESOURCE CENTER AND UNITE AMERICA TO SUPPORT NATIONAL, STATE AND LOCAL ADVOCACY AND IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT AROUND RANKED CHOICE VOTING (RCV). THIS ROUNDTABLE EMERGED IN 2022 AS A CLEAR AREA OF NEED FOR THE COALITION. IT TENDS TO COALESCE AROUND TWO PRIORITIES: ASSISTING IN CRAFTING POLICIES AND LEGISLATION THAT ENSURE THE BEST POSSIBLE IMPLEMENTATION OF RCV, AND RESPONDING TO LEGAL CHALLENGES AGAINST RCV. COLLECTIVELY, THIS ROUNDTABLE HAS RESPONDED TO SEVERAL DOZEN QUERIES FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY.-ELECTION ADMINISTRATION SUPPORT TEAM: FAIRVOTE LAUNCHED AN ELECTION ADMINISTRATION TEAM MADE UP OF THREE ELECTION ADMINISTRATORS WHO WERE COUNTY CLERKS IN UTAH AND COLORADO THAT IS LED BY FORMER VOTE AT HOME CEO AMBER MCREYNOLDS. THIS TEAM RESPONDS TO QUERIES AND SUPPORTS STATE AND MUNICIPAL BOARDS OF ELECTIONS AS THEY INTEGRATE RCV INTO THEIR ELECTIONS FOR THE FIRST TIME. IT ASSISTS IN REAL TIME WITH HOLISTIC ASSESSMENTS OF WHAT MIGHT BE NEEDED TO EMBRACE RCV WHILE ALSO PROVIDING REAL-TIME GUIDANCE ON EVERYTHING FROM ELECTION RECOUNTS TO VOTING EQUIPMENT. FOR EXAMPLE: -OVER 2022, FAIRVOTE PROVIDED ADVICE AND DIRECT ELECTION ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT FOR THE VIRGINIA GOP TO CONDUCT THREE RANKED CHOICE VOTING (RCV) NOMINATION CONTESTS FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS 8, 10, AND 11. IN UTAH, FAIRVOTE PROVIDED ONGOING STRATEGY AND ELECTION ADMINISTRATION ADVICE TO UTAH RCV, INCLUDING AMBER MCREYNOLDS ENGAGING ON PUSHBACK FROM THE ELECTION ADMINISTRATORS. -FV ALSO ENGAGED IN A FEW NATIONAL ELECTION ADMINISTRATION CONFERENCES IN 2022, INCLUDING INTERNATIONAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS CONFERENCE (IGO), NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SECRETARIES OF STATE (NASS), AND ELECTIONS CENTER CONFERENCE, AND WERE WELL RECEIVED.-FAIRVOTE HAS BUILT AND MAINTAINED A STRONG COALITION OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL ALLIES WORKING TO ENACT AND SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION OF RANKED CHOICE VOTING ON THE MUNICIPAL, STATE-WIDE, AND FEDERAL LEVEL. TO THAT END, IN 2022: -FAIRVOTE MAINTAINS A LISTSERV, REGULAR COALITION CALLS, A LIBRARY OF SHARED CONTENT, AND SLACK/TWITTER STRATEGIZING WITH LOCAL RANKED CHOICE VOTING ORGANIZATIONS.

  Expenses $3,761,127 · Grants $305,000 · Revenue $520,424

As filed on the 2022 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

• FIX DEMOCRACY FIRST EDUCATION FUND

  $100,000

  OUTREACH AND EDUCATION

• RANK THE VOTE

  $50,000

  OUTREACH AND EDUCATION

• UNITE AMERICA INSTITUTE

  $50,000

  RESEARCH

• REPRESENTWOMEN

  $50,000

  OUTREACH AND EDUCATION

• FAIRVOTE ACTION

  $30,000

  ADVOCACY

• MAINE CITIZENS FOR CLEAN ELECTIONS

  $25,000

  OUTREACH AND EDUCATION

Related organizations on this return

Schedule R Part II: tax-exempt organizations related to the filer by control. It does not record shared board members or money.

• FAIRVOTE ACTION

  501(C)(4) · ADVOCACY ON RANKED CHOICE VOTING · MD

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2022

Filed

18 May 2023

IRS schema version

2022v5.0

Source object

202331399349300818

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

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