Cara Brown McCormick
Cara McCormick, principal at Smart Campaigns, advises on strategy and research. With 10+ years in major races, she led Maine’s historic move to ranked choice voting. Her work focuses on election reforms that improve representation and voter choice.
Articles by Cara
Billionaires, Voter ID, Uber, and More: The 2026 California Ballot Is Already a Money War
In California, almost $325 million has already been raised in support and opposition to a handful of direct democracy initiatives hoping to appear on the ballot on November 3, 2026. ...
13 Apr, 2026
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15 min read
Congress Left Town; The Coast Guard Went to War Without a Paycheck
Many Americans may not realize that during peacetime, the U.S. Coast Guard operates as part of the Department of Homeland Security and is funded by it, not the Department of Defense. ...
12 Apr, 2026
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4 min read
Why California's Governor Race Is a Trap for Both Parties (Trump Endorses Hilton)
Breaking down Steve Hilton's Trump endorsement, why two Republicans advancing is never going to happen, and how Democrats may be using that fake threat to dismantle nonpartisan primaries altogether....
09 Apr, 2026
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2 min read
Trump Won This Latino California District; Now Independents Will Decide Who Holds It
Donald Trump carried the district by 1.3% in 2024, winning 49.5% to Kamala Harris's 48.2%, a striking outcome in a district where Democrats still held a registration advantage exceeding 13 points....
07 Apr, 2026
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19 min read
Are California's Cannabis Raids Starting to Work?
California has seized more than $1.2 billion in illegal cannabis since 2022. But whether those numbers are moving the needle on the state's entrenched illicit market is another matter....
06 Apr, 2026
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5 min read
Trump is Building a FEDERAL Voter List: Should YOU Be Scared?
Trump just signed an executive order directing DHS to build a federal voter list and instructing the USPS to only deliver ballots to "verified" voters. Legal experts say it's unconstitutional. ...
02 Apr, 2026
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1 min read
Paige Against the Machine: Scranton Mayor Runs Against Congressional Corruption and Old Party Rules
In the fall of 2019, Scranton, Pennsylvania, was in crisis. Its mayor, Bill Courtright, had resigned and pleaded guilty to federal charges of bribery, extortion, and conspiracy. ...
30 Mar, 2026
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8 min read
Sheriff Seizes 650,000 Ballots – While Running for California Governor!?
Chad Peace, Cara McCormick, and Shawn Griffiths kick off this episode of the Independent Voter Podcast with a controversial story that put the California governor’s race in the national spotlight. ...
26 Mar, 2026
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3 min read
10 U.S. House Members Who Quit Their Party While in Office
Impeachments. Wave elections. Gerrymandered maps. A stolen election that never was. Frustration with leadership. The reasons House members abandon their parties mid-term are as varied as the members themselves....
26 Mar, 2026
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6 min read