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Last Monday, FairVote released our 2016 general election presidential campaign tracker. This tracker, which has been regularly used this fall by National Popular Vote, looks at where major party candidates for president and vice-president have been rallying their supporters at events that are open to the public, free and intended to influence local voters. Our data for the tracker is based on local news reports and the campaigns’ public schedules. As anyone familiar with current Electoral Colle

Illinois US Senator Mark Kirk may be the most vulnerable Republican senator running for re-election in 2016. His contentious relationship with his party highlights the frustration many Illinoisans have over the electoral options in this race. Yet Kirk’s own words in a debate further hurt his chances and illustrated the consequence of having few voices on stage. Kirk and his Democratic challenger, U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, last Thursday debated in Springfield, Illinois. After Duckworth describe

Despite obtaining more than half a million petition signatures to put a redistricting reform amendment on the Illinois ballot in November, legal challenges kept the measure off the ballot. The effects of having partisan maps are likely to be evident when Illinois votes in three weeks. The Independent Map Amendment sought to institute an independent panel of eleven to draw districts and eliminate gerrymandering. The panel would have included Republicans, Democrats, and a pool selecting the remai

Gerrymandering is nearly as old as America itself, named after James Madison’s vice president and governor of Massachusetts, Elbridge Gerry. The advantageous practice of drawing legislative districts along partisan lines may seem unfair, but thanks to the support from the two major parties it has remained part of the status quo for over 200 years. That has diminished the number of competitive races and creates more partisan legislatures, both on a state and national level. Like with any governm

A U.S. Supreme Court decision last week will keep an independent candidate in Illinois off the November ballot. The high court denied independent David Gill's request to vacate an order by a lower appeals court to leave him off the ballot in Illinois' 13th congressional district. The ruling effectively ends Gill's campaign. The only two names that will appear on the November 8 ballot are Democrat Mark Wicklund and incumbent Republican Rodney Davis. Gill previously filed a lawsuit to appear on

With smartphone ownership being so common in the U.S., the questions surrounding electronic voting are becoming increasingly important. 39 percent of likely voters surveyed by Consumer Reports said they would choose voting by computer or mobile device over traditional methods. But despite the growing openness to electronic voting, e-voting opportunities have declined since the mid-2000s. Because states lack the funding to repair and replace newer voting machines, many have reverted to more tradi

Last week the Illinois Supreme Court rejected an appeal that may have ended the current campaign to reform legislative redistricting. The ruling further illustrated the arduousness of instituting a citizen-led proposal in Illinois. A circuit court in July ruled unconstitutional a ballot initiative to diminish politicians' influence on the redistricting process. The Independent Map Amendment, the group behind the effort, immediately filed appeal with the Illinois Supreme Court. Last week the co

Last week, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump proposed congressional term limits. "I hear it from more and more people," Trump said of term limits for federal legislators. "We're going to take a very serious look at that." The idea of national term limits periodically surfaces as an issue. Republicans campaigned on term limits as part of the 1994 Contract With America platform. The tea party also featured term limits as part of its agenda in 2010. The presidential candidate did not e

As with past election cycles, third party and independent candidates – as well as initiatives aimed at reducing the power of the two major parties – are struggling to achieve access to general election ballots. In some cases, this is the result of general apathy toward specific parties, candidates, or reforms. In other cases, however, their exclusion from the ballot stems from a variety of causes, including minor technicalities, official ineptitude, constitutionally dubious legal barriers, and,

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed legislation last week that would have instituted automatic voter registration. However, the legislature may have the votes necessary to override his veto. Senate Bill 250 aims to automatically register eligible Illinois residents when they visit driver service facilities. Under the legislation, a state employee would inform the applicant of his or her ability to accept or opt out. Currently, an estimated 2.6 million Illinois residents are eligible to vote b