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How will independents vote in the upcoming elections? An opinion piece appearing in the New York Times this week, entitled “How to Win Swing Voters (And How to Lose Them),” says: "As we often hear, independent voters hold the power to swing elections. But most independent voters are not what they seem. There are two groups of independents. The 'pure independents' — about 25 percent of them — have no interest in politics and, as in the 2016 election, rarely even vote. They are unlikely to swing

Voters in Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, and Utah are voting on whether to hand control over drawing electoral districts to independent redistricting commissions. With two weeks to go, here’s a rundown of what these ballot questions would do, who’s for and against, and their prospects of winning. Fair Maps Colorado - Amendments Y and Z In Colorado, there are twin constitutional amendments on the ballot backed by Fair Maps Colorado. Amendment Y sets up a multi-partisan independent redistrictin

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - Election security was once a niche topic, but after the DNC revealed that its computers had been penetrated by Russian hackers in the Summer of 2016, it has entered the mainstream awareness as an urgent matter of national import. During this time of heightened scrutiny to safeguard against foreign interference in U.S. elections, the choice of a foreign tech company with a dubious past and strong ties to the Venezuelan government to overhaul LA County's antiquated voting sy

"I hope someone kills you." Sen. Susan Collins Menaced for Kavanaugh Vote WASHINGTON, DC - In the wake of her choice to vote for the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has had to endure a torrent of horrifically abusive and misogynistic comments as well as death threats on Twitter. The comments range in quality from incredibly disgusting to downright menacing. Former Dianne Feinstein Staffer Publishes The Addresses of Republican Senators' Families

The success of Maine as the first state to use ranked choice voting statewide has brought newfound national attention to ranked choice voting. There’s much to like in this replacement to our fractious, problematic, and outdated plurality voting method. Voters can vote for their top choice without fear of splitting the vote. More candidates and parties can compete without the label of “spoiler.” Campaigns become more civil and less prone to negative attacks. The winner is the consensus, majority

I. The State of Self-Driving Car Technology and The Possibilities In the 1990 film, Total Recall (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone), the protagonist played by the now former governor of California hails a self-driving car with a humanoid, robotic attendant sitting where a human driver would. What makes the surreal scene eerily prophetic is how Schwarzenegger asks the AI cab driver questions like one might ask Alexa, Siri, or Google's voice assistant, and the "Johnny Cab" sasses

What are the main take-aways from the 2018 primary season from an election reform perspective? In summary, some good news, some problems, and some emerging solutions. The good news is that competition and participation both increased significantly in 2018, as more people ran, more people voted, and more primaries actually offered choice to voters. The number of candidates seeking office jumped by 30% compared with 2016, and the percent of primaries that were contested also rose significantly, p

The Senate nearly unanimously approved a bill Monday that would prohibit "gag order" clauses that prevent pharmacies from telling customers about cheaper drug options. The bill -- the Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act -- passed 98-2. The issue has broad support across the political spectrum -- from US Sen. Bernie Sanders to President Donald Trump. Americans deserve to know the lowest drug price at their pharmacy, but “gag clauses” prevent your pharmacist from telling you! I support legisla

A central element of this remarkable year in election reform has been the pivot of the anti-gerrymandering fight from the courts to the ballot boxes. As has been widely reported, five states vote this year on state constitutional amendments to block partisan gerrymandering and fundamentally change how redistricting is done, far more than in any other year. Ohio approved its amendment in May with 75% support; four others -- Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, and Utah -- will vote in November. Nearly

Political reformers across America are paying close attention to key elections on November 6. But their focus is not on candidates or political parties. It’s about how Americans vote on ballot measures to unrig the system. Here are some highlights: Voters Not Politicians (Michigan) In Michigan, an anti-gerrymandering measure is on the ballot after Voters Not Politicians gathered more than 425,000 petition signatures with only volunteers within just 110 days. The measure creates an independen