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The Texas House approved a bill Saturday that eliminates straight-ticket voting, which allows voters to choose a party's entire slate of candidates in a single ballot marking. Texas will likely become the second state in 2017 to eliminate straight-ticket voting, following Iowa. The bill, HB 25, originated in the state House, and was initially approved by the chamber in early May. However, before passing the Senate, an amendment was added to the bill that required the bill to go back to the Hous

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

WikiLeaks posted a leaked 2012 email Wednesday from a policy advisor to then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that said al-Qaeda was helping rebel forces in Syria and was "on our side." https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/852266094379380738 Here is more from the email: "(U) Al-Qaida leader al-Zawahiri called on Muslims in Turkey and the Middle East to aid rebel forces in their fight against supporters of Syrian President Asad in an interne video recording. Al-Zawahiri also urged the Syrian

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1zdvSsLBvM On Monday, the Senate approved in a near unanimous vote to clear the way for Montenegro to be the latest entry into NATO. The vote does not officially add the Balkan country, but it does approve a final vote later this week. The Senate vote in favor was 97-2. The two dissenting votes were U.S. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah). In case you are not sure where Montenegro is, here is a map: Supporters believe the move will send a strong me

It looked possible that Utah would become the second state to adopt ranked choice voting for statewide elections. However, HB349, the bill that got a surprising amount of bipartisan support in the House, died in a Senate committee because of a tie. HB349, sponsored by State Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck, would have ensured that primary and general elections were decided by an actual majority (over 50%) of the vote rather than just a plurality under the current choose-one voting method. Here is how

On Friday, March 3rd, 2017, the Utah House voted 59-12 to pass HB 349, a bill that would require the use of ranked choice voting for nearly all Utah elections. Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck (D) introduced the bill, however it passed out of committee last week with Republican support in an 8-1 vote, and passed the House today with nearly 75% of House Republicans voting in support, including House Majority Leader Brad Wilson and House Majority Whip Francis Gibson. While it is unclear whether the bill

Last week, Utah state Representative Rebecca Chavez-Houck introduced legislation that would initiate ranked choice voting (RCV) in her state. According to fairvote.org, a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocate for RCV, “With ranked choice voting, voters can rank as many candidates as they want in order of choice.” This bill could potentially give voters in Utah more choice on their ballot while mandating that over 50% of the vote must be reached for a winner to be named -- an actual majority. The lac

President Donald Trump’s first weeks as president seem to be centered around one strategy: Prove to the American people that he’s a man of his word and that unlike most politicians, he will actually keep his campaign promises. Despite the rocky start, he has mostly been successful in this endeavor. Travel ban? Executive order signed. Border wall? In the works. Restrictions on lobbying? Done. Trump has shown voters he is indeed a man of his word with the stroke of a pen. In fact, according to Ga

With a Trump presidency coupled with a GOP Congress on the near horizon, changes in health care reform are finally on the table. Other than those with preexisting conditions, many on the left haven’t been thrilled with Obamacare but will defend it as a “step in the right direction,” presumably toward universal health care or a single-payer system. The right didn't initially respond with pointing out what was actually wrong with Obamacare, somehow feeling the need to engage in hyperbole until th

The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), the nation's largest marijuana policy organization, released a statement Tuesday, January 10, regarding U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions' remarks on prohibition enforcement during his confirmation hearing before the Senate. Sessions is President-elect Donald Trump's pick for U.S. attorney general, the lead law enforcement official in the Executive Branch. Sessions was the first cabinet pick to have his confirmation hearing Tuesday. During the proceedings, Sen. Patr