Search query: massachusetts

Modern data-driven map making capabilities have made the age-old practice of drawing congressional districts to favor a political party – gerrymandering – a frighteningly precise and effective weapon in American politics.A SCOTUS punt of two high-profile cases that were before the Supreme Court this summer (one an example of Republican partisan gerrymandering, the other Democratic) led to citizen ballot initiatives in several states, while just this week in North Carolina, a federal court ruled

Shouting “news” anchors. A barrage of insults. Media headlines plastered with scandals and investigations. We must be watching politics in modern day America. A 2017 study by the Pew Research Center showed just how polarized our politics have become since the mid-90s. The findings specifically detail how: “[T]he share of Americans with ideologically consistent values has increased over this time and these political values also have become more strongly associated with partisanship.” This is a

Mental health is a difficult topic to discuss even at the best of times. But when a patient is already suffering from a disease or illness, or when they're recovering from surgery, they're in a particularly vulnerable state of mind. It's during this time — at the complicated intersection between physical impairment and compromised mental health — that we pay some of the heaviest social prices. Whether it's health care costs spiraling out of control or the palpable frustration of watching a love

The Boston Globe published an editorial Tuesday, saying the Massachusetts Legislature "would be wise to adopt ranked-choice voting, coupled with a robust voter education campaign, for statewide elections." The Globe writes: "Ranked-choice voting comes with many advantages. It invites the electorate to weigh pluses and minuses of a broader slate of candidates. It eliminates the split among like-minded constituencies, which can in turn help to elect more diverse candidates. At a time when Massac

Millions of voters are not just choosing to self-identify as independent of the two major parties, they are dumping their party registrations in droves. In about half the states that register voters by party, independent voters outnumber at least one of the two major political parties. But here are 9 states where independents not only outnumber registered Republicans AND Democrats, they are also having a significant impact on political developments within the state. Note: All registration numb

My latest podcast interview is with Adam Friedman, the executive director of Voter Choice Massachusetts. Voter Choice Mass. is an expansive grassroots network of ranked choice voting advocates hosting several events across the state to educate voters about ranked choice voting. Friedman says his organization is the largest effort in the nation to get ranked choice voting passed at the state level following the reform's success in Maine. He believes momentum will continue to grow for RCV, and th

The independent and nonpartisan reform movements have never seen the momentum they are seeing today. Voters are ditching the Republican and Democratic Parties in droves. A record number of independent and third party candidates are running. And, powerful coalitions are forming to transform the US political system into one that is more representative of the diverse political landscape in America. We are witnessing history in the making. Here are the 15 biggest developments in the independent mov

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwyVJ_-q0mE&feature=youtu.be Video Source: Rebel HQ When it comes to electoral reform right now, there is no hotter topic -- arguably -- than ranked choice voting (RCV). I have covered its use and its growth in popularity extensively on IVN, and momentum for the reform continues to grow. The biggest news came in June when Maine became the first state in the US to use RCV for state and non-presidential federal elections. The numbers indicate that independent vot

San Francisco, CA. - San Francisco is now the first city in California to allow non-citizens to vote in elections. In the November 2016 election, San Francisco voters passed Proposition N, the Non-Citizen Voting in School Board Elections measure by a vote of 54% to 46%. It was enacted by the Board of Supervisors in May. The statute reads "Proposition N gives voting rights in San Francisco School Board elections to non-citizen residents of San Francisco who are of legal voting age, not in priso

Democracy advocates recently celebrated a victory in Maine, where voters used ranked-choice voting in their statewide primaries — the first state ever to do so. In that election, voters also approved a referendum to keep the ranked-choice system for future elections. They will use it this November in the elections for U.S. Senate and U.S. House.ALSO READ: Independents Made the Difference in Maine’s Ranked Choice VotingAdvocates say this method of voting opens up the system to third parties and i