Articles by Amy Tobia

South Bay voters are navigating a monsoon of negative, and often misleading, political ads tied to the July 1 runoff election for San Diego County’s Board of Supervisors. But here’s the kicker: taxpayers are footing a $4.6 million bill for this completely unnecessary second round of voting....

Voters have the power to decide who wins on election day, but only a small percentage of them decide who will be on the ballot. For our democracy to not only survive, but thrive, voters must determine who runs as well as who wins. Small-dollar campaign financing in the form of Democracy dollars would go a long way towards building a truly equitable democracy and transforming our representation. When I meet with neighbors and community groups, we talk about the ideal candidate—the person who wou...

This is an independent opinion. Have one of your own? Write it! Email it to hoa@ivn.us The New York Times ran a story recently about Marina Udgodskaya, a cleaning woman who ran for office against her boss, the incumbent mayor of Povalikhino, Russia, and won. In the middle of our current elections, this headline is eye-catching. Everyone loves a story where the underdog pulls off an upset victory. The article goes on to explain, however, that her candidacy was actually an example of what happen...

Represent San Diego and Independent Voter Project presented a screening of Daniel Falconer’s award-winning anti-corruption documentary, "UnRepresented," to an audience of 120 democracy reform advocates and concerned citizens on Oct. 10. The screening was followed by a lively and in-depth discussion of the challenges raised by the film’s unflinching look at the current state of American democracy. "UnRepresented" is a short film with a big message: legalized political corruption is ruining our d...

This is an independent opinion. Have one of your own? Write it! Email it to hoa@ivn.us It’s not often that a serious book about politics is written as a graphic novel, but that is what author and activist Daniel G. Newman has done with "Unrig: How to Fix Our Broken Democracy." “I wanted to write a book that I would actually want to read myself,” Newman explains, unlike the lengthy tomes that describe problems in great detail but offer little in the way of solutions. Working with George O’Conn...

This is an independent opinion. Want to respond? Write your own commentary! Email hoa@ivn.us. On one night in San Diego, volunteers were writing postcards to voters and wondering if they would be delivered in time by the U.S. Postal Service. Parents were trying to catch up on unfinished work, knowing that keeping up will be harder when remote school starts at the end of the month. Others worried about the end of the month because that is when rent is due, and there is no relief in sight. The o...