<div>The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly unemployment benefit applications jumped 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 380,000. The Associated Press, 4/12/2012</div>

Jane Susskind

The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly unemployment benefit applications jumped 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 380,000.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson Declares His Support for Ranked Choice Voting

Photo Credit:&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/@claybanks?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash">Clay Banks</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/red-and-blue-building-illustration-BY-R0UNRE7w?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;

How Maine Started a Voter Revolution, And Is Now Going Backwards

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Top Four Nonpartisan Primary Initiative in Idaho Surpasses 84,000 Signatures

Editor's Note: This piece <a href="https://middleweightpolitics.substack.com/p/how-the-two-party-system-makes-america">originally published</a> on Dan Sally's website and has been republished with permission from the author. Photo Credit:&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/@albrb?utm_content=

How the Two-Party System Makes America Less Stable

Photo Credit:&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/@tiffanytertipes?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash">Tiffany Tertipes</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-pen-sitting-on-top-of-a-piece-of-paper-nxcs8wwj9J0?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium

Many voters prefer the ease and convenience of being able to cast a ballot by mail. However, the rules that govern mail-in and absentee voting are not always well-known -- especially since they vary from state to state.

New Guide Shows You How to Vote at Home in Your State

Greg Orman: The Independent Who Got 42% of the Vote Against an Incumbent in Kansas

Photo Credit:&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/@kevinrajaram?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash">Kevin Rajaram</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/group-of-people-walking-on-the-streets-qhixFFO8EWQ?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=ref

If there is one day out of the year that many Americans collectively dread it is April 15 -- Tax Day. But for millions of US voters, it is also a reminder that while they help foot the bill for elections, they are denied the right to an equal vote in them.

A Look at the Millions of Taxpayers Denied an Equal Voice in Elections

Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/">Gage Skidmore / Flickr</a>

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Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has said no to a bill that would clarify how ranked choice voting (RCV) is supposed to work in local elections -- which is odd consid

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has said no to a bill that would clarify how ranked choice voting (RCV) is supposed to work in local elections -- which is odd considering the only reason Youngkin is governor is because of a RCV nomination process at the 2021 Virginia GOP convention. 

The Irony of Gov. Glenn Youngkin Vetoing a Ranked Choice Voting Bill

Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/perspective/">Elvert Barnes / Flickr</a>

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Major national news outlets <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/09/business/media/networks-biden-trump-debate-letter.html">reportedly</a> are drafting an open let

Major national news outlets reportedly are drafting an open letter to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump's campaigns urging them to debate this fall. Biden has threatened not to debate at all, and Trump doesn't have a solid track record committing to debates.

If Trump or Biden Don't Want to Debate, Give The Stage to Someone Else

Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@claybanks?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash">Clay Banks</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/black-android-smartphone-on-brown-wooden-table-cisdc-344vo?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&am

Nebraska is one of only two states that has a system that awards its Electoral College votes based on the popular vote in each of its congressional districts. However, there is a contingent of state lawmakers who want to change this with the support of former President Donald Trump.

The Electoral College Reform the Nation Needs is Not What Either Party Wants

Editor's Note: The following piece <a href="https://thefulcrum.us/electoral-reforms/independent-voters-2024">originally published</a> on The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher. John Opdycke is the president of the nonpartisan primary reform advocacy gro

Biden is connected to the Democratic Party. In fact, he is the Democratic Party. And there is no organization more oblivious to how it ignores and disrespects independent voters than the Democratic Party.

Biden's Problem with Independents: His Party Is Constantly Insulting Them

Photo Credit:&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/@janinekrobinson?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash">Janine Robinson</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/person-holding-white-and-red-box--LCjFBEgioM?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=refe

The worse political polarization gets, the more anxiety people feel over close elections. Accusations surface about rigged processes, frustration builds when results aren't called on Election Night, threats against election workers surface, and errors in reporting are made.

New Campaign Launches to Ease Panic over Elections that Go Into 'Overtime'

Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevenm_61/">Steven Martin / Flickr</a>

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There is a resolution in the Missouri Legislature that if approved by voters would ban the use of ranked choice voting (RCV). However, RCV isn't the sole subject. There

There is a resolution in the Missouri Legislature that if approved by voters would ban the use of ranked choice voting (RCV). However, RCV isn't the sole subject. There is another provision meant to trick voters into supporting it. 

The Missouri Resolution Designed to Sucker Voters into Banning Ranked Choice Voting

Photo Credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/@erenyldz98">Eren Yildiz / Unsplash</a>

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Efforts to reform Pennsylvania's closed partisan primary system continue with groups like Ballot PA urging state lawmakers to give independent voters equal voting rights in the state's t

Efforts to reform Pennsylvania's closed partisan primary system continue with groups like Ballot PA urging state lawmakers to give independent voters equal voting rights in the state's taxpayer-funded elections process.

Penn. Voter: Closed Primaries Are a Modern Version of 'Taxation Without Representation'

Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/">Gage Skidmore / Flickr&nbsp;</a>

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The Robert F Kennedy Jr campaign announced Monday that the independent candidate for president has collected more than enough signatures to obtain ballot access

RFK Jr Campaign: We've Collected Signatures Needed to Get 'Bobby on the Ballot' in Critical Battleground

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On April 1, 2014, IVN was the first to cover a campaign that warned California independent voters not to be fooled when they registered to vote. But today, hundreds of thousands of voters are still registered with the American Independent Party by mistake.

10 Years Ago, IVN Warned CA Independents Not to be Fooled by the American Independent Party -- But the Issue Persists

Photo Credit:&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/@mcoswalt?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash">Maria Oswalt</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/vehicles-on-road-during-daytime-TRkDaJGK2yE?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;ut

The lawsuit was filed by the DC Democratic Party in August not long after the DC Board of Elections unanimously approved the reform initiative, now known as Initiative 83, to appear on the 2024 ballot. 

DC Judge Tosses Lawsuit Against Open Primaries, Ranked Choice Voting Ballot Measure

Photo Credit:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/@vsolomianyi?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash">Vladimir Solomianyi</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/100-us-dollar-banknote-rKPiuXLq29A?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral

Tax season is here – a time of year many Americans dread. And like every year, when citizens file their taxes, they will be asked a question: "Would you be willing to give $3 to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund?" 

Green Party Leaders Say Major Parties Gutted Presidential Campaign Fund to 'Silence Opposition'

It is not uncommon for a state to clean out its voter rolls every couple of years -- especially to remove voters who have moved and are no longer eligible to vote in the state.

However, there are many states that will kick voters off the registration rolls simply for not voting in a pre

Wyoming Purges Nearly 30% of Its Voters from Registration Rolls

Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/collisionconf/">Collision Conf / Flickr</a>

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Former CNN commentator John Avlon is running for Congress in New York's 1st Congressional District. Avlon is running in the Democratic primary, but he is no stranger to independent politics or the movements for independent reform.

The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly unemployment benefit applications jumped 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 380,000.

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