Rob Richie
FairVote co-founder who led the electoral Reform group from 1992 to 2023.
FairVote, the group Richie co-founded in 1992, found that statewide recounts from 2000 to 2023 shifted margins by an average of 551 votes, a yardstick for Zyon Khalifa's 2,926-vote deficit in the South Carolina recount opened by 10 November.
Last refreshed: 11 November 2026
Timeline for Rob Richie
SC recounts Joe Wilson's 2nd District
US Midterms 2026Background
Richie co-founded FairVote in 1992 and ran it until 2023, when he became a senior adviser. Meredith Sumpter has been its president and chief executive since 1 April 2024, FairVote states. The group campaigns for ranked-choice voting and other changes to how US elections are run.
FairVote's study of every statewide general-election recount from 2000 to 2023 found an average shift of 551 votes. No statewide recount on its list has overturned a lead in the thousands, the position Representative Joe Wilson holds over Khalifa in South Carolina's 2nd District.
The ranked-choice case faces its next test in Alaska, where the Senate race goes to a ranked-choice tabulation on 18 November.
Who is Rob Richie?
Who runs FairVote?
Can a recount overturn a lead of thousands of votes?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 11 November 2026. Editorial standards.