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With a new year comes a new legislative session in state houses around the U.S. 2016 has seen state legislators nationwide use this opportunity to empower voters by introducing bills that create new uses of ranked choice voting (RCV) at the state and local levels. Just one month into this year’s session, at least 27 pro-RCV bills have been introduced in 13 states and the District of Columbia. The proposed measures advance RCV in a variety of ways. Bills in Georgia, Massachusetts, and Vermont, f

The spirit of America is strong; the state of our union is fragile. That is my conclusion after 100 days driving 14,128 miles through 34 states as an independent candidate for President of the United States. I met with over 1,000 people individually and in small groups. I mostly stayed away from big cities and college campuses. I had learned on two short campaign trips before this long one that very few Americans understand there are independent candidates running for office so I got in the ha

Christmas time, that wonderful time of year when we can pause and reflect on the first Christmas in America, with the Pilgrims exchanging gifts with the Indians in snowy New England. After all, the Pilgrims came to America to avoid religious persecution, right? Unfortunately, this view of American history, as well as the modern belief in a so-called 'War on Christmas,' are totally in err. The Pilgrims, some of the strictest of the Puritan movement, held Christmas as an aberration of true Chri

The United States is often celebrated as the world’s leading example of representative government. However, we as a nation barely inspire half of our voters to show up for a national election—leaving U.S. voter participation among the lowest in the developed world. Americans don’t vote for a variety of reasons; however, one of the most common reasons is the growing frustration with our obtuse electoral process. From the arbitrary scheduling of primaries to the antiquated use of the Electoral Co

Most Americans are familiar with the common Thanksgiving traditions. With a seat at a table filled with food and family, our turkeys, mashed potatoes, and gravy boats are all staples of a tradition. But what are some of the less traditional facts associated with Thanksgiving? 1. Thanksgiving on Alcatraz Since 1975, hundreds of members of indigenous tribes have met on Alcatraz Island for the "Unthanksgiving Day" ceremony at sunrise to commemorate the survival of American Indians following the

If there was ever a time for someone to step forward and run for president as an independent, now is the time! We had two independents leading in the polls for the Republican and Democratic nominations. Sure, Bernie Sanders is a socialist-leaning independent. I know he calls himself a Progressive, but he has been elected many times in Vermont as an independent. I do not know why he did not run as an independent. Then we have Donald Trump, a business/reality TV personality who is running as a Re

Election Day 2015 has come and gone, and voters in cities in six states again found that they were not limited to marking only one candidate, but had the ability to rank the candidates in order of choice. Voters had the chance to vote with ranked choice voting in the following city elections: * San Francisco, CA * Telluride, CO * Saint Paul, MN * Takoma Park, MD * Portland, ME * Cambridge, MA That expansion of voter power is not a miracle cure-all for our democracy, but has clear positiv

It is no secret that the two major parties in the U.S have actively worked to rig the election system for their own benefit and so they can drown out any independent voices. I was reminded of this fact earlier this year when the Florida legislature was unable to come up with a new district map after the previous one was found to be illegal. Inspired by my home state, I want to shed light on a few other obstacles the parties put in front of our democracy. Things like... Gerrymandering. It used t

In February, IVN.us reported on the possibility that the Independent Party of Oregon might be named Oregon's third major party by registering 5 percent of the state's voters by August 17 of this year. In August, officers of the Independent Party of Oregon were notified by the Oregon secretary of state that the party has now hit that goal and will be recognized as a major political party for the 2016 election cycle. As the party secretary, I thought it would be a good time to share a brief histo

In an opinion piece for the New York Times, Paul Krugman argues Donald Trump is right on economics. This defense of Trump comes after Jeb Bush began attacking Trump as a false conservative for previously supporting a single-payer health care system, raising taxes on the wealthy, and having a relatively pro-choice stance on abortion. Trump's candidacy continues to turn the political world on its head. Even Massachusetts Democrat, Elizabeth Warren, briefly mentioned she agrees with Donald Trump o