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The 2016 election cycle was an exceptionally rough one for voters and candidates alike. The divisive rhetoric and lack of support for the major-party candidates revealed a failure in our system to engage all voters and demographics alike. Last year, around 28 million independent voters registered nationwide to participate in the electoral process, becoming the fastest growing voting demographic in the United States. Yet, many states such as Massachusetts and New Jersey disenfranchised independ

I voted for Bernie Sanders. Not because I’m a liberal. Not for any particular ideological reason, actually. I voted for Bernie Sanders in the primary because, to me, he represented the only real challenge to the Democratic AND Republican Party establishment that continues to put their own partisan interests and rhetoric ahead of actually governing. In Bernie Sanders, we had the first presidential candidate who talked about things that mattered to non-partisan voters. Money in politics is impo

Legal efforts to shut out voters from publicly-funded primary elections in Hawaii and Montana may be heard by the Supreme Court next week. The lawsuits challenging open primaries were brought by Republicans and Democrats alike. On February 17, the court will decide whether to reconsider the findings of lower courts in the cases of Ravalli County Republican Party v McCulloch and Democratic Party of Hawaii v Nago. Previous decisions have upheld Montana and Hawaii’s open primaries as constitution

As the new year gets underway, state legislatures around the country are convening to tackle the issues of the day. In at least nine states, electoral reform is on the agenda. Building on the momentum of historic wins for ranked choice voting in Maine and Benton County, Oregon, lawmakers from Massachusetts to Hawaii have introduced bills that would expand its use in their states. The bills vary in their scope and history. Bills in Virginia and Connecticut would adopt ranked choice voting for al

As a young guy it didn’t take me long to figure out how smart Lucy Killea was. She was an extraordinary intellect and a great politician. She was clever and capable of not getting stuck in the ruts that politicians of our generation have unfortunately gotten trapped in. Lucy would often remind me that "knowing WHEN to be right is often as important as simply being right." The words below are more than 25 years old. I was proud to stand by her in 1991, but I can't imagine any time when her words

Kim Guadagno, who is New Jersey's lieutenant governor and secretary of state, is expected to run for governor in the GOP's June primary election against Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli. Guadagno is currently considered the odds-on favorite to win a primary election that is not likely to turn out many voters. Guadagno has served in her post since 2010, during which time she defended New Jersey's primary election law that gives the Republican and Democratic parties a monopoly over the state's electi

Ever since Donald Trump won the presidential election, the Democratic Party and its allies have had a renewed appreciation for the “one person, one vote” principle established in the landmark 1964 Supreme Court case, Reynolds v. Sims. Even notable political scholars like Harvard professor Lawrence Lessig, who is not really a friend of the DNC, is wondering out loud why the Democratic Party doesn’t just file a lawsuit against the Electoral College for violating this clear constitutional standard

Fear mongering media outlets have convinced many that we are losing the war on terror at home. The truth is, however, that we are doing quite well. According to the October Terror Threat Snapshot, released by the Majority Staff of the Homeland Security Committee, US authorities have arrested 109 suspects in ISIS related incidences since 2014. The report states, “These individuals had, among other acts: plotted attacks; attempted to join ISIS in Iraq and Syria (or facilitated others’ travel); p

San Diego, CALIF. - San Diego’s election system doesn't look like the state of California. Since 1989, the City has had an election loophole, allowing candidates who receive over 50% of the primary vote to be automatically elected and skip the electorate in the November general election. Voters are challenging this election system through a ballot initiative. If passed, Measure K will change the system starting in 2018. The current loophole meant 4 of the 7 races for the City of San Diego ende

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