Articles by Danielle Balderas

Although the midterm election fever has largely subsided, the courts are heating up over the issue of redistricting and gerrymandering lawsuits. For the 2014 term, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear three cases on redistricting commissions, and the Florida Supreme Court has also heard its own case over redistricting. Elections are contentious contests and at the heart of these arguments is who has the power to draw district lines that influence the outcomes on Election Day. All of these case...

With Thanksgiving upon us, it's time to reflect on the culinary embodiment of this American tradition -- the turkey. The turkey's ascendency to fame has its humble origins as far back as the First Thanksgiving in 1621. In 1789, when a group of congressman had a banquet in honor of a Thanksgiving celebration, they realized the chef had put no turkey on the table. Alexander Hamilton said, "No Citizen of the United States should refrain from turkey on Thanksgiving Day." However, it wouldn't be unt...

With the November election a few weeks removed, voter turnout statistics have poured in from around the country. While projected to be significantly below the national average, voter turnout in California for the 2014 midterms may end up surpassing the national average once all ballots are counted. The numbers may fluctuate over the next few weeks, but as of November 18, 40.3 percent of California voters voted in the November election compared to a reported national average of 36.4 percent (Cal...

Late Tuesday, the Senate voted against debating the USA Freedom Act of 2014. The legislation failed to garner 60 votes -- the threshold necessary for cloture. The final vote was 58 in favor to 42 opposed. The bill was lauded by supporters as an attempt to reign in the expansive surveillance programs of the National Security Agency (NSA). The USA Freedom Act was first introduced by U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and U.S. Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) in 2013 and went through sev...

Debate over states' rights and the rights of the people goes as far back as the 18th century. Today, that political discussion is alive and well in the form of a struggle over gerrymandering. This term, the Supreme Court will hear Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, an appeal brought to the court by the Arizona State Legislature to challenge their loss of redistricting power to an independent redistricting commission (IRC). When Alexander Hamilton wrote Fe...

Americans are very mistaken when it comes to perceiving the reality of key social issues. An August 2014 survey conducted by Ipsos MORI, a leading UK research company, found U.S. citizens were the most likely to overestimate the prevalence teen pregnancy rates and underestimate the proportion of Christians in the population compared to the 13 other countries. Their survey entitled “Perils of Perception: A Fourteen Country Study” gauged levels of perception about key social issues and demographi...

Although California is the most populous state in the nation with just over 38 million people spanning a length of about 800 miles, its political leaders at the federal and state executive levels come from largely urban areas, specifically the Bay Area. This concentration of power calls into question the very nature of a representative government. To look at these top political leaders in the U.S. Senate and in the state capital, one would assume that the Bay Area has proportionately many more ...

In Colorado, Governor John Hickenlooper (D) held on to his seat for another 4-year term. With 55 of 64 counties reporting so far, he defeated Republican challenger Bob Beauprez 48.87 percent to 46.49 percent. The race was neck and neck heading into Election Day as the election heated up over social issues like gun control and the death penalty. As the numbers came in, counting went on into the early morning hours after the polls closed. The Denver Post called the election in favor of Hickenloop...

Californians voted on 6 statewide propositions on Election Day, three of which were approved by a majority of voters: Propositions 1, 2, and 47. Propositions 45, 46, and 48 did not pass. Proposition 1: Passed Prop. 1 is a $7.5 billion water bond for California’s water system. Californians approved Prop. 1 66.8 percent to 33.2 percent. This means California can sell $7.1 billion in bonds for water-related programs and redirect $425 million of unsold bonds for water and environmental-related i...