Category: election reform

A new lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Open Primaries Education Fund along with the law firm, Angor, Rapaport, & Skainy (DATRS), asserts that Maryland is violating its own constitution and the voting rights of nearly 1 million independent voters in the state by denying them access to taxpayer-funded primary elections.

A lot of people are talking about democracy reform in New York City, especially since the implementation of ranked choice voting. But while ranked choice voting in party primaries is novel, let’s be honest: it’s not “small-d” democratic. The fact is, the general election still uses a plurality voting system, which means candidates don’t need to win a majority, they just need more votes than anyone else.

Nevada’s largest registered voting bloc – unaffiliated voters – could soon gain access to the state’s taxpayer-funded primaries, if a new bill from Democratic Nevada Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager becomes law.

The Harvard Political Review (HPR) is a student-run publication at Harvard University that is widely regarded for high-level, nonpartisan analysis of political developments in the U.S. and abroad. Founded in 1969 by members of the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, HPR has been a launchpad for major voices in public service and academia.

The New York City Charter Revision Commission, which is tasked with proposing policy changes to city government, held its first public meeting this week since it released a preliminary report that considers a potential end to the city’s closed primaries.

The estimated cost for Tuesday’s primary elections in Pennsylvania is around $75 million for state and local governments. It’s a large price tag, especially since it is being paid for by voters who are denied the right to participate.

A legal showdown over the future of campaign finance laws in Maine — and potentially nationwide — begins May 22 as a federal judge is set to hear oral arguments over a voter-approved cap on contributions to super PACs at a time when these groups continue to shatter records in election spending.

Many voters may not be aware that on May 1 the Federal Election Commission (FEC) lost its ability to enforce federal campaign finance and election laws after Republican Allen Dickerson departed the agency, leaving it without the quorum it needs to perform its most important roles.

Alaskans made history in 2020 when they passed the first-in-the-nation election system that not only eliminated party primaries but adopted a voting system for the general election that gave them the option to rank candidates in order of preference.

A bill that would open Pennsylvania primary elections to over 1.4 million registered independent voters, HB 280, cleared its first major hurdle to becoming law this week when it cleared the House State Government Committee.