Our Team
Rob Richie
President and Founder
Rob Richie is the president of Democracy Next LLC and the Senior Advisor of FairVote, an organization he co-founded and led as CEO from 1992-2023. As head of FairVote and the advocacy organization FairVote Action, Rob helped advance and win a range of electoral reforms, including: the Fair Representation Act in Congress; the National Popular Vote plan to elect the president; ranked choice voting in Alaska, Maine, and more than 50 cities; and voter access changes like voter preregistration, automatic voter registration, and alternative voting systems remedies in voting rights cases. His thought leadership contributions include inventing the partisan voting index to project federal elections and Alaska’s Top Four Primary, combining all-candidate primaries with ranked choice voting.
Rob is a frequent media source and has been a guest on NPR’s All Things Considered, On the Media and Fresh Air, C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Fox, and NBC. His writings have appeared in all major daily newspapers and in 13 books, including as co-author of Every Vote Equal and Whose Votes Count. He has authored seven academic journal and law review articles and addressed conventions of the American Political Science Association, National Association of Counties, National Association of Secretaries of State, and National Conference of State Legislatures. He regularly speaks to organizations and groups on campus.
Rob is a graduate of Haverford College, where he serves on its Corporation. He and his wife and RepresentWomen CEO Cynthia Terrell, are parents of Savanna, Lucas and Rebecca.
Eveline Dowling
Senior Fellow
Eveline Dowling is a political scientist with a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, specializing in public opinion, political behavior, survey research, and election reform. Her research on political polarization analyzes whether independents have an in-group attachment to other nonpartisans, similar to partisans. Other work examines views of election integrity for partisans versus independents. Her research focuses on empowering communities by enhancing electoral systems and fostering inclusive political participation. Papers published in Electoral Studies and other academic journals explore how voting systems impact turnout and engagement, particularly across diverse demographic groups.
With hands-on experience in strategic communication, policy analysis, and quantitative methods, Eveline has collaborated with national organizations like the Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center to drive meaningful election reforms. Her commitment to strengthening democracy extends to her teaching and mentorship, fostering the next generation of civic leaders and informed voters.