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In recent years, there have been several top-down attempts to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United. That decision, made in 2010, birthed legal entities known as super PACs, which can raise and spend unlimited sums of money so long as they do not coordinate with a candidate. In 2014, Democrats failed to muster enough votes to overcome a Republican-led filibuster over a proposed constitutional amendment. And in 2015, Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig announced a presidenti

Green Party ballot access campaigns have had more success in 2016 than ever before, according to Rick Lass, Ballot Access Coordinator for the Jill Stein campaign. You can check out the Greens' infographic to see states turn green as each state's required signatures are submitted. So far, 43 states are green. Lass is sure that Greens will make it onto 44 state ballots, plus Washington, D.C. The only state so far, with no chance of turning green is South Dakota. Greens failed to gain ballot acce

A new groundbreaking poll released by Quinnipiac University found that a whopping 62 percent of likely American voters believe that Libertarian presidential candidate and former two-term New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson should be included alongside Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton in the upcoming presidential debates, which are sanctioned by the Commission on Presidential Debate (CPD). Sixty-two percent is a significant majority, but the Quinnipiac poll results become even m

“Those who have been bred in the school of politics fail now and always to face the facts.”  ― Henry David Thoreau, “Slavery in Massachusetts” It was disappointing to read that Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin is spending public money urging voters to leave the United Independent Party ahead of an important registration deadline. But it was not a surprise. Massachusetts has a long history of using the power of incumbency to cripple political opponents. In fact, it’s

As with past election cycles, third party and independent candidates – as well as initiatives aimed at reducing the power of the two major parties – are struggling to achieve access to general election ballots. In some cases, this is the result of general apathy toward specific parties, candidates, or reforms. In other cases, however, their exclusion from the ballot stems from a variety of causes, including minor technicalities, official ineptitude, constitutionally dubious legal barriers, and,

Evan McMullin’s first full week as a candidate for president has been both surprising and, for some of us, predictable. McMullin talks and acts like a seasoned candidate, and not like a novice traversing his first national campaign. Predictable are the dismissive tones from a political class heart hardened to newcomers. The most successful independent and insurgent candidates burst forth riding a sugar high of excitement, generating animated crowds looking for the new, and garnering quizzical b

© 2016 by reclaimtheamericandream.org. The article was written by Hedrick Smith, executive editor of reclaimtheamericandream.org. Gerrymandering Undermines Our Democracy In a prophetic column in early 2010, Republican strategist and political guru Karl Rove asserted: “He who controls redistricting can control Congress,” and that is just what Rove had his eye on doing for the GOP. The cunning manipulation of political district lines by Democrats or Republicans to guarantee their own election

Ted Cruz’s infamous “vote your conscience” speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention raised a flag for “Never Trump” Republicans to rally around nationwide. This group of disillusioned Republicans, who still have not embraced the new face of their party, have already started an exodus from their beloved Grand Old Party. Primary exit polls indicated the inevitability of this migration. Before Trump received the nomination, four out of ten non-Trump voters stated that they wouldn’t back h

Are #youin? Check out our new video -- and spread it around. #election2016 #TeamGov pic.twitter.com/9X6iNNzZW2June 30, 2016 Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson and his running mate, Bill Weld, released a new campaign video Thursday asking Americans one thing: if you do not want Hillary Clinton, if you do not want Donald Trump, if you want candidates who have "credible, proven, capable, honest" records... then are you in? Johnson, a former governor of New Mexico (1995-2003), and Wel

I have long supported Republican candidates and elected officials, not because they had "R" next to their names, but because they were people whose character and ideals generally resonated with my values. Honesty, integrity, and deep concepts of service have been the foundation of the candidates I have supported — along with an anchoring belief that we can fulfill our founders' promises and empower citizens to pursue happiness, and to build better lives and a better America. By comparison to s