Articles by Countable

Following the Obama administration’s decision to abstain from voting on a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israel’s construction of settlements in contested Palestinian territory, supporters of Israel in Congress have called for cutting off U.S. funding to the United Nations. The international organization, which receives a significant portion of its budget from the U.S., has long been critical of Israel for building Jewish settlements on Palestinian territory and in the past America...

When Donald Trump is inaugurated as president on January 20, he’ll have one immediate spot on the Supreme Court to fill. By the end of his time as president, that could grow to two or three or even four SCOTUS vacancies. Justice Antonin Scalia died last February and President Obama’s nominee Merrick Garland has been waiting nine months for a confirmation that now isn’t going to come. Trump will get to name a replacement for Scalia and, potentially, nominees to fill the seats of Ruth Bader Ginsb...

There’s just one week left until Election Day and with all the acrimony in the presidential race, we’ve heard from a lot of Countable users who are wondering about voting third party or not voting at all. Will voting third party or skipping it altogether hand the race to a major-party candidate you disagree with? Is a third party vote a wasted vote? Let’s break it down. First, it really depends on how you think of your vote: Do you view it as solely a personal expression and action or is it mor...

On November 8, voters across the country will be casting their ballots not only for presidential, congressional, and gubernatorial candidates — but also for a variety of initiatives, referenda and propositions that will affect their state. It’s not an exhaustive list, but we’ve broken down many of the major ballot measures from across the country. See if one will be on the ballot in your state below: Alabama Amendment 8: Right-to-Work Constitutional Amendment Arizona Proposition 206: Mari...

Today, the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians will face off in game one of the World Series, highlighting 108- and 68-year droughts, respectively, since either claimed a title. The world has changed a lot since the Cubs lost to the Detroit Tigers in 1945 and the Indians defeated the Boston Braves in 1948. That got us wondering what Congress was up to way back then. Here’s what we found: The Last Time the Cubs Competed for a Title: 1945 World War II was drawing to a close, and President Frank...

Donald Trump said during Wednesday night’s debate that he couldn’t guarantee that he will accept the results of the November 8 election, but would have to “look at it at the time.” Trump has repeatedly warned in recent months that the election will be “rigged” and added on Thursday that he’ll accept the results “if I win.” While close elections have led to court battles and recounts, once the results have been finalized, no presidential candidate in U.S. history has contested the result. But i...