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On July 14, congressional lawmakers introduced the Automatic Voter Registration Act of 2016, which would ensure that whenever a citizen interacts with the government, they are automatically registered to vote unless they choose to decline. The bill is being led by Representative Robert Brady (D-PA). While support at the congressional level has been primarily among Democrats, automatic registration is a bi-partisan reform at its very core. Five states have adopted automatic voter registration th

It’s July in an election year which means that, among other things, it’s convention time. In the lead up to the conventions, parties are in a flurry of preparation, trying to get every element of their respective events together in time for the opening gavel. Amid all these preparations, however, there is one which stands above the rest. Before there can be a party convention, there must be a party platform. A party’s platform establishes its position on a plethora of issues ranging from civil

“Americans vote for their president.” Well, yes and no. America’s presidential election system relies on the Electoral College, a group of men and women chosen by state parties to vote in their favor. When Americans go to the polls, they choose their candidate of choice, and trust that the party electors will vote as the citizens have chosen. Each state has a certain number of electors: California has the most, with 55; other states, like Montana, Wyoming, and Alaska, have as few as three. The

Sacramento, CALIF. - California voters will get t0 decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana. Secretary of State Alex Padilla said initiative proponents have turned in more than enough signatures to place the question on the November ballot. The initiative is promoted by a well-funded and politically connected coalition spearheaded by former Facebook president Sean Parker.It asks voters to allow people 21 and older to buy an ounce of marijuana and marijuana-infused products at licensed

6/1/2016 - The United Independent Party of Massachusetts has reached an agreement in principle to join with the Independent Party of Oregon and the Independence Party of Minnesota as a co-founder of a coalition of moderate and centrist third parties. The parties will convene a national conference (or teleconference) in August to discuss the joint nomination of a candidate for president. The focus on presidential politics represents a significant shift for all three parties, which have tended to

Leaders of the Independent Party of Oregon and the Independence Party of Minnesota have reached a "broad strokes" agreement on joining together to form a national coalition of nonpartisan, moderate, and centrist third parties. The parties will convene a national conference or tele-conference this summer to discuss joint nomination of a candidate for president. The group has identified potential third-party partners in multiple states. "The Democratic and Republican parties are poised to nominat

When a nation is faced with a fait accompli (such as the existence of millions of illegal aliens within its borders), the prudent and most promising response is to frankly acknowledge the intractability of the situation (and the impossibility of obtaining an ideal solution) and focus its energy and resources on making the best of a bad situation. For anyone to wish for the status quo ante or to excite among the public expectations that such an ideal solution is feasible is disingenuous if not d

Americans love horse races, especially the political kind. News organizations know this, so they make sure to create a horse race or two every four years—even when (and perhaps especially when) a race promises to be a dull ride and a foregone conclusion. I don’t mind this much. Politics have been a form of entertainment in the United States since the very beginning. This is better than being, as it is in many countries, a blood sport. But sometimes the imperative to turn a political election i

Although Hillary Clinton defeated Bernie Sanders Saturday in the Nevada Caucuses, Fox News reported on Friday a poll that shows him ahead nationally by three points. With the appearance of some support for Clinton eroding, the idea of the self-professed Democratic Socialist being the Democratic Party's nominee for president has become a real possibility. From the perspective of anyone who supports "limited government," the idea of endorsing someone who wants Washington to play a much bigger rol

Should the government be able to access encrypted data on your smartphone? That's the question surrounding the very public pushback Apple is giving the FBI, which is seeking to recover data in the iPhone of one of the shooters in the recent San Bernardino terror attacks. It turns out that what your elected officials think about this question might have a lot to do with the campaign contributions they receive from technology companies and their employees. After Apple issued a public letter to it