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On Monday, March 2, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in the case, Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission. The high court will consider the constitutionality of independent redistricting commissions, something that could also affect the ballot initiative process in several states. The main issue before the Supreme Court is whether the justices will agree with a lower court’s interpretation of the phrase “by the Legislature thereof” in the Election Cla

Redistricting has been a contentious process since the early 1800s, when Governor Elbridge Gerry signed a bill that reshaped electoral districts in Massachusetts to benefit the Democratic-Republicans. This manipulation of the redistricting process was nicknamed a Gerry-Mander, partially after Governor Gerry, and partially after the shape of one of the Boston districts, which resembled a salamander. The practice, now commonly referred to as gerrymandering, presents a challenge to the U.S.'s repu

As of February 6, there have been 121 reported cases of the measles in 17 states and Washington, D.C., in 2015 alone. If the measles outbreak continues at this pace, the number of reported cases in 2015 will surpass 2014's record-setting numbers. Measles cases: Jan. 1 to Feb. 6, 2015. There are 121 cases reported in Washington, DC and 17 states (California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Texas, Washington, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, New York, N

On Tuesday, Senate Democrats successfully filibustered an appropriations bill that would fund the U.S. Department of Homeland Security until September. The bill, passed by the U.S. House on January 14, includes provisions that threaten President Barack Obama's executive actions on deferred deportations for certain immigrants who are in the country illegally. A funding bill for DHS must pass by February 27 or agencies including the TSA, Secret Service, and Customs and Border Protection will par

Vote Hemp, a major grassroots hemp advocacy group, on Thursday announced the introduction of complementary bills in the U.S. House and Senate, S. 134 and H.R. 525, titled the " Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015," with support on both sides of the political aisle. The Act would remove federal restrictions on the cultivation of industrial hemp, the non-drug oilseed and fiber varieties of Cannabis. “With bi-partisan support in the Senate and House, we are eager to see 2015 be the year Congress

Appellants in the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the New Jersey primary structure filed a reply to the secretary of state’s opposition brief with the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday. The EndPartisanship.org coalition reasserts its argument that because primary elections are an integral stage of the public election process, the state has an obligation to protect every voter’s fundamental right to equal and meaningful participation. Since March, when the EndPartisan

Late last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed resolution HR 758, which largely condemns Russia. However, it may also provide impetus for further confrontation between the United States and the world's largest country. Passing the House 411-10, the resolution condemns many of Russia's actions in recent years, including but not limited to the annexations of Crimea, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia. It also denounces Russia's material support of the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad and the d

On Tuesday, December 3, New Jersey Attorney General John Hoffman filed an opposition brief with the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals, challenging the EndPartisanship.org coalition's appeal. While the coalition argues that an equal and meaningful vote in all integral stages of the election process is a fundamental right, the state continues to argue that only Republicans and Democrats enjoy this right, even though this integral stage of the election is funded, administered, and sanctioned by

In Illinois' 15th Congressional District, veteran incumbent U.S. Representative John Shimkus, a Republican, is running against a lightly-funded Democratic challenger, Eric Thorsland. Taxes and jobs have dominated the candidates' talking points, and while both candidates have quite a bit of agreement, one issue has been generally neglected throughout the campaign: foreign policy. Midterm elections typically do not center on foreign policy -- with 2006 serving as a notable exception -- and this o

The main talk of the 2014 election has been which political party will control the Senate after the votes have been counted. Democrats have been on defense throughout most of the country as President Obama's approval rating remains low. So with just a week to go before Election Day, how will the numbers fall? Here are my predictions. In this election cycle, Democrats have 38 seats that are safe or not up for re-election while Republicans have 42. So that is where my numbers start.Democrats are