States all have unique attributes, issues and problems, yet many commonalities. One of the most fiercely debated concepts in American politics is the issue of states rights versus federal powers. This debate anchors a slew of hot-button topics including immigration, health care, commerce, and more. This section will aim to cover issues specific to states and continue such debate transparently here at Independent Voter Network.
Americans remain divided over their views on abortion. The Gallup survey recently reported that about 45 percent of Americans identify as pro-choice and 48 percent regard themselves as pro-life. States across the country reflect this polarization depending on who holds control of the governorship and the state legislature.
Washington State has held Top 2 Open Primaries since 2008 following the US Supreme Court decision (7 – 2) declaring that Washington’s Initiative 872 was constitutional. With three major election cycles complete, we can draw some conclusions based on primary and general election results. All election data presented in this Blog was obtained from the Secretary of State Elections Division website. We analyzed US Representative, State Senate, and State Representative races. Florida Independent Voting.Org is solely responsible for the analysis shown below.
Competition resulting from the top-two primary doesn’t necessarily mean Mike Honda, endorsed by a long list of Democratic superstars, will lose his seat. What it does mean, however, is that he will have to appeal to a broader base in order to keep it.
Although the debate of the pros and cons of nuclear energy has strong arguments for both sides of the spectrum, the permanent shutdown of the San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station (SONGS) will undoubtedly place greater pressure on California to begin planning for a reliable long term energy agenda.
On June 10, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition to review Ralphs Grocery Company v. United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 8. The suit involved two California protest laws that provide broad protection to protestors in labor-related disputes.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker self-identifies as an “independent Democrat.” When he declared his official entry into New Jersey’s special election to replace Frank Lautenberg’s Senate seat on Saturday, he explained that if elected, he would seek to “bring people together…actually get into the complicated difficult messy arena…
Governor Chris Christie announced that New Jersey will hold special elections in October to fill the seat left vacant after the death of Senator Frank Lautenberg. The cost of this decision has already become controversial, including the $12 million spent on a partisan primary nobody will vote in.
