About Us

Equal Vote is a grassroots powered organization driven by our mission, our coalition, and the passion of our volunteer base. 

 

Our Mission: 

Our current voting method is inherently unequal, and this inequality has decidedly negative consequences: outsized influence of money in politics, hyper-partisan rancor, and widespread electoral disenchantment.

"The Equal Vote Coalition’s mission is to promote true equality in the vote. We conduct and support top-notch research, educate communities, and build coalitions.

Our five core principles for electoral reform mandate that proposals we support empower Honesty, Equality, Accuracy, Expressiveness, and Simplicity. These criteria form the basis by which we evaluate and advance proposals for better voting."

 

Who We Are:

The Equal Vote Coalition is a nonpartisan 501c3 nonprofit with a mission to fight for true equality in the vote itself. From our inception in 2014, in Eugene, Oregon we have steadily grown to include a diverse network from around the world and from a variety of backgrounds within the voting reform and election reform communities.

If you'd like to join the fight for an equal vote, we are actively working on growing our movement. We are committed to inclusive, bottom up organizing, broad outreach, and working to build a coalition that is more than the sum of its parts. 

We all deserve equality, we deserve a voice, and we deserve fair representation. In an era of unprecedented polarization, this is something we can unite around.

 

What We Do:

The Equal Vote Coalition works to upgrade the electoral process of public elections to improve democracy for all. This includes researching voting science, creating and sharing educational content, growing the coalition of democracy advocates, and supporting practical electoral reform efforts. Change starts with that light bulb moment when people connect the dots between our broken political landscape and the root causes, and suddenly are able to visualize concrete solutions that are actionable.

Equal Vote recommends STAR Voting, which is adaptable to single-winner, multi-winner, and proportional elections. STAR Voting fully delivers on the principles that inspired this movement in the first place. In addition to STAR Voting, there are a number of voting methods that raise the bar, level the playing field, and ensure every voter an equally weighted vote. In particular, Approval Voting and Ranked Robin are also fantastic options for voters who want a traditional or ranked ballot, respectively.

We see voting method reform as the foundation of the voting rights movement, but in order to have an equal vote there are a number of other essential elements. Voting method reform, voting rights, fair districting, election integrity, anti-corruption, and combatting the influence of money in politics unite our coalition and form the foundation of the work we do. 

 

History:

The Equal Vote Coalition was established in 2014 by Mark Frohnmayer following the launch of the 2014 campaign for the Unified Primary system in Oregon, which consisted of a nonpartisan Approval Voting primary with a top-two runoff. The unified primary system has since been adopted in St. Louis.

The name is a reference to the Equality Criterion, an electoral test which can be used to determine if a voting method eliminates vote-splitting by ensuring that every voter can always cast an equal and opposite vote, no matter how many candidates are in the race. "The voting franchise provides votes of equal weight to all the voters if and only if for each possible vote expression that one voter may cast in an election, there exists another expression of the vote that another voter can cast that is in balance – such that the outcome of an election is the same whether both or neither votes are counted."

As it's first event, the Equal Vote Coalition hosted an Equal Vote Conference at the University of Oregon which included leading advocates for Approval Voting, Ranked Choice Voting, Score Voting, and leaders in the Oregon voting reform movement including advocates for Oregon's Vote by Mail initiative. At the time, the reform community was very split between advocates for ordinal voting methods and cardinal voting methods, with both sides arguing that the other side's proposals were unworkable. The debate led to the idea for what is now known as the STAR Voting method, which is a hybrid of the two approaches.

In 2017, preliminary studies modeling Voter Satisfaction Efficiency from the Center For Election Science showed STAR Voting significantly outperforming both Ranked Choice and Approval Voting in both producing accurate outcomes and incentivizing honest non-strategic voting. The models also showed that a 0-5 ballot performed as well as the original 0-9 scale, which led the Equal Vote Coalition to adopt the 0-5 star ballot officially and to rename the method STAR Voting. Shortly after, the Equal Vote Coalition coalitioned with a number of other Oregon electoral reform organizations which had voted to support STAR Voting, including RCV Oregon, and the Oregon chapter of Represent.Us, and launched twin ballot initiatives to implement STAR Voting in Lane County and Multnomah County, respectively.

The Equal Vote Coalition was incorporated as a 501c3 nonprofit in 2019 by Sara Wolk, Alan Zundel, and Mark Frohnmayer. Initially focused in Oregon, the coalition has since expanded its efforts across the United States and internationally, engaging with researchers and activists to promote voting equality. In 2020 the STAR Voting Action 501c4 nonprofit was founded to focus on advocacy and campaigns for STAR Voting more specifically. 

 

Meet the Team:


 

Sara Wolk

Executive Director and Co-Founder at the Equal Vote Coalition and STAR Voting Action
Chief Petitioner at STAR Voting for Eugene
[email protected] (she/her)

Sara Wolk is the Executive Director and a co-founder of the Equal Vote Coalition, a nonprofit fighting for true equality in the vote itself. She boasts a diverse array of accomplishments from founding and managing farm-to-table CSA programs to helping build the case for the first-ever international judicial precedent on the rights of nature in Ecuador’s Cloud Forest. Beyond the volunteer coordination and campaign leadership she’s demonstrated in her day-to-day, Sara has helped bring voting method reform to the real world by creating accessible educational content, speaking on national panels, and co-authoring a peer-reviewed analysis of voting method accuracy and strategy that has been published in the journal Constitutional Political Economy. When she’s not busy upgrading our political system, Sara competes in Thistle-class sailboat racing and loves playing music with friends.

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Annie Kallen

President at Equal Vote
Board Director at STAR Voting Action
[email protected] (she/her)

Annie is an electoral reform organizer living in Portland, Oregon. She served on the Multnomah County Charter Review Committee in 2021-2022. She loves educating about voting method reform in accessible and entertaining ways, whether through writing, presentations, or animated videos. Her goal is to help people in underserved regions acquire more of a say in their communities, and to increase the ability for independents and the politically voiceless to have equal participation in local, federal, and world politics. She received an English degree from Portland State University, and has worked for a renewable energy company for the last 15 years. In her free time she sews, dances, does 3D design, and enjoys learning new things.

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Ruben Montejano

President at STAR Voting Action
Board Director at Equal Vote
Outreach Coordinator for STAR Voting California
[email protected] (he/him) 

Ruben Michael Montejano has been an advocate for voting reform since 2018 and helped start-up the STAR Voting California Chapter. Moreover, he focuses on conservation for natives plants in his local areas and is currently a student as well as a Behavior Interventionist. In his spare time, Ruben is probably hiking, planting, researching a variety of topics from plant conservation to voting reform, or relaxing with family and/or friends.

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Duncan Siror

Vice President at STAR Voting Action
Board Director at Equal Vote
Chairman of STAR Voting Ohio
[email protected] (he/him) 

Duncan has long been interested in politics and civic engagement, which started with the history and social science classes he took in high school. He helped launch the STAR Voting Georgia chapter, where he served as the Volunteer Coordinator. He hosted tabling events at Middle Georgia State University, Macon-Bibb Parks & Recreation, and Open Streets Macon. Duncan clearly recognizes the value of outreach to varied, diverse groups. While he has spent considerable time communicating with politicians and journalists, he also educates marginalized and underserved communicates on the importance of electoral and voting method reeform.

Duncan now resides in Columbus, OH, continuing to advocate for STAR and electoral reform as a whole. He's working to create connections and alliances across the city and the state. Target organizations include Democratic Socialists of America, Libertarian Party, Forward Party, and Black Men Build.

Outside of STAR, Duncan works in IT as a network analyst. His hobbies include foreign languages, music, calisthenics, Halo, and Super Smash Bros. In addition to electoral reform, public transit and labor rights are top concerns for him.

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Andrea Denault

Vice President at Equal Vote
Board Director at STAR Voting Action
[email protected] (she/they)

Andrea Denault is a political activist who’s worked across the country for more than ten years. In 2018, she ran a landmark campaign for electoral reform, organizing the first city in America to adopt Approval Voting. After leading the historic victory in Fargo, she went on to help usher in a second win in St. Louis, spearhead similar efforts in Denver, and continues to work with electoral reform advocates throughout the U.S.

Hailing from North Dakota, Andrea is a Turtle Mountain Anishinaabekwe who was active in the occupation at Standing Rock during opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline. She’s a longtime advocate for the related intersecting issues and prioritizes economic justice, environmental policy, and antiracist work.

Andrea has led a wide variety of successful campaigns, from city council to the White House. She’s built broad coalitions for both political candidates and single-issue ballot initiatives, alike.  She has partnered with and volunteered for the ACLU, NAACP, AFL-CIO, DSA, LWV, and dozens of other advocacy groups.

As an Equal Vote Board Director, she’s lending her nonprofit leadership expertise and the lessons learned from previous campaigns. Her goal is to realize a democracy where all people believe there is a reason to vote and feel like the legitimate stakeholders they truly are.

Currently a political consultant, Andrea previously studied Journalism and Economics in Colorado, worked in marketing, and was a human rights lobbyist focused on LGBTQ, refugee, and Native American issues. She is a writer who enjoys cycling, comedy, armchair philosophy, and physics.

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Dr. Alan Zundel PhD

Campaign Manager for STAR Voting for Oregon 2024
PhD in Political Science from University of Michigan
[email protected] (he/him)

Dr. Alan Zundel is the campaign manager for the STAR Voting for Oregon 2024 campaign. Alan has an M.A. (Wayne State University, 1985) and a Ph.D. (University of Michigan, 1994) in political science, and he was a tenured political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He was a leader in the successful initiative campaign to bring Ranked Choice Voting to Benton County, Oregon, in 2016. That same year, he ran for Oregon Secretary of State as the candidate of the Pacific Green Party. In 2017, at the invitation of Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson, he chaired a Redistricting Reform Task Force. In 2018, he was a chief petitioner for the first initiative to adopt STAR Voting in Lane County, Oregon. The campaign succeeded in gathering enough signatures to get on the ballot and nearly won with 48% of voters in favor. Alan and his wife Marianne have lived in Eugene, OR since 2006. They have 2 adult children and two grandchildren in California.

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Dean Price

Treasurer at Equal Vote and STAR Voting Action
[email protected] (he/him)

Dean is a Tax Professional with the city of Lake Oswego, Oregon and is self-employed with Price Tax & Bookkeeping in Vancouver, WA. He served as Accounting Specialist with the Portland Opera full-time and attended Virginia Peninsula College. Subsequently he completed certificates in Finance Essentials for Small Business, Running a Profitable Business: Understanding Cash Flow, and Become a Financial Analysis. Dean has also served as a volunteer treasurer for Multnomah County Democrats.

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Dr. Keith Edmonds PhD

Board Director at Equal Vote
Director of Canadian Electoral Research
Co-Chair, 0-5 Star Proportional Research Committee
PhD in High Energy Physics from Johannes Gutenberg University
[email protected] (he/him)

Keith Edmonds is a Data Scientist by profession and a Physicist by training. He is the Director of Canadian Electoral Research for the Equal Vote Coalition. He invented Vote Unitarity and subsequently derived Sequentially Spent Score from its principle. He also derived Single distributed vote as a more natural extension of Sequential proportional approval voting to Score voting ballots than Reweighted Range Voting. He invented STLR voting as a Utilitarian alternative to STAR voting for single winner elections.

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Dr. Jameson Quinn PhD

Board Director at Equal Vote
PhD in Statistics from Harvard University
[email protected] (he/him)

Dr. Jameson Quinn's decades-long interest in advancing voting theory has driven him to many relevant accomplishments including completing a PhD in statistics from Harvard, scientific research such as his work on Voter Satisfaction Efficiency, co-organizing the British Columbia Symposium on Proportional Representation, and assisting in the design of the voting system now used to maintain the integrity of the Hugo AwardsJameson has regularly made his household in Cambridge, Massachusetts a home for refugees.

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Hayden "Sass" Sasswood

Board Director at Equal Vote
Deputy Director at Equal Vote and STAR Voting Action
[email protected] (they/them)

As they were gearing up to run for US House of Representatives, Sass discovered voting method reform and quickly recognized it as “the most important first step we have to take to solve all of our other problems.” Sass’ deep dive began and their passion for voting reform ultimately led to them moving across the country to work for Equal Vote. They focus relentlessly on voter empowerment and attribute much of their growth in the voting method reform space to the welcoming and inclusive culture nurtured at Equal Vote. Sass is eager to dabble in new and diverse escapades, with experience ranging from music writing, to political activism, to martial arts. If you ever find yourself in the Eugene, OR area, be sure to ask Sass to go sing some karaoke with you!

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Arend Peter Castelein

Production Lead at Equal Vote and STAR Voting Action
[email protected] (he/him)

In 2021, Arend quit his Software Engineering job to pursue Indie game development full-time, and his company, Star Garden Games, released Word Factori.

Around the same time, he discovered STAR Voting and has been passionate about voting reform ever since. Now, he co-leads the Software team, creates animations, and helps with a variety of other projects.

Arend can speak Dutch (the name "Arend" is Dutch for "Eagle"), and outside of work, he studies Korean and enjoys exploring Los Angeles with his wife and cat.

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Nate Allen

Board Director at Equal Vote

Founder and Executive Director of Utah Approves
[email protected] (he/him)

Nate is primarily a grassroots organizer based in Utah and has appeared in several media appearances and conferences to support alternative voting methods. He believes deeply in the power the people can have when they join together for a common cause. Nate holds a BS in Psychology with minors in Cognitive Science and Philosophy and is the founder of Utah Approves. In his work with Utah Approves, he has worked to gain the support of all 29 county clerks in the state for Approval Voting as the best alternative method, presented at legislative committee meetings, and worked to obtain signed letters from city councils showing interest in using Approval Voting. He enjoys spending his free time fire-performing and hiking.

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Mike Franze

Board Director at STAR Voting Action
Chair of STAR Voting California
Chair of the STAR Elections Software Development Team
Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech
[email protected] (he/him)

Mike has been involved in the voting reform community since 2017 with his primary goal of ending extreme political polarization. He joined the Equal Vote Coalition as a volunteer in 2020 and has helped start the STAR Voting California chapter and various STAR Voting software development projects. Mike graduated from Georgia Tech in 2015 with a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering.

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Mont Chris Hubbard

Board Director at STAR Voting Action
[email protected] (he/him)

Mont Chris is a composer, music director, and performer who makes his home in Portland, Oregon. Soon after after getting involved with STAR Voting, he stepped up as chair of the STAR Voting Oregon Chapter and helped lead the STAR Voting Oregon Legislative Outreach Committee and Portland Charter Review outreach project. Mont Chris is the Secretary-Treasurer of the Musicians Union Local 99, which now uses STAR Voting for its internal elections. In addition to talking about voting methods and unions to city commissioners, state legislators, and cornered family members at Thanksgiving, Mont Chris has received numerous awards for music and theater including a 2011 Kennedy Center ACTF Meritorious Achievement Award, the 2011 Portland Music Award for Album of the Year, and the 2013 Portland Area Musical Theatre Award.

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Rep Zach Hudson, Oregon House of Representatives, District 49

Chief Petitioner for STAR Voting for Oregon 2024
[email protected] (he/him)

Zach's background is as a teacher, former Troutdale City Council member, and Oregon House Representative. He became a teacher because he believes everyone deserves the opportunity to succeed and thrive. Zach sees Oregon's challenges—and its brightest opportunities—through the eyes of a teacher. He is passionate about investing in our kids and protecting our future. Zach works to promote equity and community, and to make the system fairer and more effective.

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Jacob Trewe

Treasurer for STAR Voting for Oregon IP-11 and STAR Voting for Eugene 20-349. 
[email protected]

Jacob holds a degree in accounting from U of O and a graduate certificate in forensic accounting from WVU. He worked as an auditor for the Offices of Inspectors General of the U.S. Treasury Department and U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency in Washington DC. After moving back to Eugene, Jacob served as the Treasurer for Hands and Voices of Oregon and currently serves as Treasurer for The Eugene-Springfield Democratic Socialists of America. He is active in community and labor organizing and is a parent of two young children, one of whom is deaf. 

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Bryan Lewis

Chief Petitioner for STAR Voting for Oregon 2024
[email protected] (he/him)


 

James "Jas" Davis

Board Director at Equal Vote and STAR Voting Action
[email protected] (he/him)

Jas graduated with a Masters in Political Management, is a board director for both STAR Voting Action and Equal Vote, is the owner of Awakenings Wellness Center in Portland, Oregon and was a past chair for the Oregon Public Bank Alliance. Jas has been an activist and community organizer for decades. He is a devoted father who enjoys hiking and camping in his spare time.

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Mark Frohnmayer 

Co-inventor of STAR Voting
Founder and Board Director at Equal Vote
[email protected] (he/him)

Mark graduated from UC Berkeley in 1996 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. After 11 years in the gaming industry and the sale of his first startup, Mark turned his entrepreneurial energy towards sustainable transportation and election science, founding electric vehicle company, Arcimoto, in 2007, and the Equal Vote Coalition in 2014.

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Equal Vote is a grassroots powered organization driven by our mission, our coalition, and the passion of our volunteer base. 

 

Coalition Core:


 

The Equal Vote Coalition 501(c)3

"The Equal Vote Coalition's mission is to promote true equality in the vote. The Equal Vote Coalition mandate is top-notch research, community education, and coalition building.

Our five core criteria for electoral reform are: Equality, Honesty, Accuracy, Expressiveness, and Simplicity. These criteria form the basis by which we evaluate and advance proposals for reform."


 

STAR Voting Action 501(c)4

STAR Voting Action serves as an umbrella organization for all STAR Voting campaigns, better allowing us to fundraise in advance, and to share resources between campaigns. The 501(c)4 allows donors to support the project as a whole, and then allows us to direct those funds to the campaign which needs the funding most, when they need it most.


 

STAR Elections

STAR Elections was launched in order to meet the demand to help host STAR Voting elections. While hosting your own elections with STAR will always remain free, we also offer election consulting and officiation. All proceeds from STAR Elections go to the STAR Voting Action 501(c)4 nonprofit fund.


 

Learn more about our coalition here