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Millions of New Jersey voters were faced with a difficult decision Tuesday: Join a party or don't vote at all. That’s because the first stage of New Jersey’s taxpayer-funded and publicly-administered elections are open to Republicans and Democrats only. So, for a plurality of New Jersey voters who choose not to join either party -- too bad. New Jersey held its 2017 primary election on Tuesday, June 6.  Lt. Governor and Secretary of State Kim Guadagno easily won the Republican nomination for go

Ballot Access News reported Wednesday that the Oregon State House passed a bill that would add Oregon to the National Popular Vote Compact (NPVC). The plan is simple: Each state that joins the NPVC commits to giving all of their Electoral College votes to the winner of the national popular vote. Here are some facts you need to know: * The NPVC is law in 10 states, plus the District of Columbia: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont,

The AP reported Monday that the Supreme Court has rejected two cases challenging open primaries in Montana and Hawaii. The justices did not comment on their decision to leave the Ninth Circuit's rulings in place. The majority parties in both states -- Democratic Party of Hawaii and Republican committees in Montana -- filed a legal challenge against the open primary laws in their respective states, which allow voters to choose a party ballot on primary election day without consideration of their

Last week, Congress avoided a government shutdown by agreeing to a continuing resolution to keep the federal government funded for another week. Then over the weekend, US lawmakers agreed to a deal that will extend funding through September while Congress and the White House continue to negotiate longer-term fiscal policy priorities. The US House passed the budget deal Wednesday. But amidst Washington's annual kabuki theater dance around fiscal policy and possible government shutdowns, a litt

Deep tax cuts and major changes to the individual tax system have been proposed by President Donald Trump and his team. President Trump’s economic advisors laid out the plan in an effort to strengthen his economic and legislative agenda as he nears the 100-day mark of his presidency. The plan includes some notable changes from the rhetoric we’ve heard these last few months. Of note, Trump is proposing to repeal a provision in the tax code that allows individuals to deduct the state and local t

The people at Mediaite interviewed comedian and talk show host Joe Piscopo about all the news coverage on Russia and Russia's alleged ties to the Trump administration. Piscopo, who is reportedly considering an independent run for governor in New Jersey, called the whole thing "comical" and "ridiculous." It’s a ruse. It’s a joke. They got nothing. The Russia thing is comical because it won’t go away … and I ask this, I ask this with respect, with respect to the Russian theorists — you talk about

At no time in history has the issue of “open v. closed primaries” been so prominent in the national discussion as it is today. This is, in large part, because Bernie Sanders made it a plank of his presidential campaign. But it is also a consequence of an important reality: independent voters are the fastest growing segment of the electorate, by far. Yet, the first and highly important stage of our election process most often serves the exclusive benefit of the voters who choose to join one of t

New Jersey is a corrupt state. You could write a book about it. In fact, this reporter did. This reporter did as well. If you grew up here, like me, then government corruption is just part of the landscape of New Jersey politics. We tend to normalize certain things, such our U.S. Senator being indicted on corruption charges and the Democratic establishment proudly signing on to say they are “with him.” Or the county bosses getting to decide who your legislators will be based on the power to awa

There is a new movement underway in New Jersey to elect independent-minded candidates to the state legislature that will support election reform to end partisan corruption in public elections. "The electoral process is very corrupt," said Dana Wefer, a life-long Democrat running for New Jersey governor as a Republican. Wefer is also the founder of New Jersey Awakens, which has proposed 5 reforms to break the parties' control over elections: * Initiative and Referendum: "New Jersey is one of t

Democracies are not the normal order of human civilizations. Throughout history, and even today, people are far more likely to live under monarchies, dictatorships, and authoritarian regimes than they are to be self-governed. Our democracy was inspired by an era of enlightenment that recognized the importance of individual freedom and human dignity. Maintaining it requires vigilance and direct participation when things have gone awry. Things have gone awry. The Republican Party, the strongest p