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Ranked choice voting has grown significantly in popularity since the battle between voters and politicians in Maine caught the attention of national media outlets. Now, there are a number of states that could soon follow Maine's example. One of the most notable efforts is in Massachusetts, where a growing organization, Voter Choice Massachusetts, is making a strong push for the voting reform. And the reason could not be simpler: "Our politics are dysfunctional." That is what Voter Choice Massa

Former Republican Governor of Massachusetts Bill Weld has endorsed Libertarian Kevin McCormick for Governor of Arizona. The announcement comes as McCormick is on the campaign trail, driving home his message of fiscal responsibility, the need for better teacher pay, preservation of gun owner’s rights and the need to scrap cumbersome and expensive marijuana laws. According to Weld, the former 2016 Libertarian Party Vice Presidential candidate, McCormick’s efforts to work across the aisle make hi

Last week I traveled to Kansas for an appearance at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas. Nestled in the hills of Lawrence (seemingly the only hills in this flattest of states), the Institute building is a striking structure, framing a towering stained glass rendering of the American flag. But for all its modernism, on the path to the main entrance, there is a four-foot stone hitching post from the original Dole ranch. The post is weathered, a clear reminder of t

In 2016 the Libertarian Party enjoyed 50-state ballot access for the first time since 1996, and polled higher than any third party had since Ross Perot took the 1992 presidential election by storm on the Reform Party ticket. It was a remarkable year for the LP in its half century history (the Libertarian Party was founded in 1971), during an election year that was remarkable in other ways for the two main political parties. Election year turn out for both Republicans and Democrats were at 20 y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih9Ir0B5uGE At a briefing on Capitol Hill, the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation presented new public opinion data that shows American voters are eager for three key electoral reforms that would give voters a greater voice at the ballot box and more fair representation in government, while tempering the partisan rancor that currently dominates our politics. The survey was conducted online with a random sample of 2,482 registered voters who

"Hollywood for ugly people." It is not a phrase coined by Michigan independent congressional candidate Cooper Nye. However, Nye says he can see why some people have come to view Washington, DC this way after working in the nation's capital. And the phrase -- from Nye's point of view -- is not a personal attack against individual policymakers on Capitol Hill, but rather a statement on how DC is run and the ugly, partisan, sometimes corrupt culture that has taken hold in Washington. Cooper Nye

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgBDGHGJSEk Transparency, integrity, and accountability. Three words that currently cannot be used to describe elections and the political system in the US. However, a new campaign has launched to change this. Issue One, a bipartisan political reform organization in Washington, DC, launched a national campaign Thursday to address these three important pillars to the democratic process and "Fix Politics Now." Endorsed by nearly 200 Republicans AND Democrats, Iss

Beginning today, in four states across the country, lawsuits will be filed to challenge the way presidential electors are selected in America. The plaintiffs in these suits charge that the “winner-take-all” system—the system by which the candidate who wins the popular vote in a state gets all of the electoral college votes in that state—violates both the 14th Amendment’s principle of “one person, one vote,” and the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment. A Republican in California, no less t

For me, history, the study of it and the making of it, has been an essential part of life. Growing up in the underground of the poor black community, reading became my salvation, and reading about great historical developments, as well as hearing the soul stirring voice of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the radio, was my inspiration. I remember the first black history class I took in college and the professor asking the students why they had chosen the course, I said I wanted to understand why

In a democracy, the people have the power, but only if they choose to wield it. With the mercurial state of America’s representative system in recent elections, it’s becoming clear that more involvement from the people is needed. However, systems like the Electoral College mean that individuals have only so much leverage at the highest levels of government. To be heard, people must take advantage of their opportunities on the local level. This is how the system is designed, but we need to make