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A collaborative effort between Patrick Miller of the University of Kansas and Pamela Johnston Conover of the University North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers new insight into the growing phenomenon behind political polarization in the United States. The study, titled Red and Blue States of Mind: Partisan Hostility and Voting in the United States, was published in Political Research Quarterly on March 30. The authors argue that the voters who are most likely to participate in elections are those

NORTH CAROLINA -- Recently proposed bills in the North Carolina House and Senate aim to tighten restrictions on abortion. A key point in House Bill 465 would extend waiting periods between when women consult with their doctors and when they can obtain an abortion. The waiting period under current state law is 24 hours -- the bill would triple that to 72 hours. "That bill is one of the most extreme waiting periods in the U.S.," said Amanda Allen, state legislative counsel for the Center for Rep

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

NORTH CAROLINA -- Not more than a few weeks into the new Congress, one independent member of the GOP is already facing the likelihood of a primary challenger. Roll Call reports that U.S. Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) is likely to face a well-funded primary challenge for the second consecutive election. Jones' 2014 opponent, consultant and former aide to George W. Bush, Taylor Griffin, has not announced a run yet. However, "nearly a half-dozen Tar Heel GOP operatives . . . said they expect Griffin

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

On Wednesday, President Obama sent a formal request to Congress seeking the authority to wage a ground offensive against the Islamic State in Iraq, something the defense department (DoD) previously said was not on the table. This is the third time since the dawn of the 21st century that a president has sought congressional approval for the use of force in the Middle East and the first since President George W. Bush sent such a request in 2002, also regarding hostilities in Iraq. While President

When we think of judicial activism or so-called "legislating from the bench," we typically think of this being a modern phenomenon complete with the modern rhetoric of judges going against the will of the people to create or strike-down laws. Throughout the 20th century, many powerful court cases decided social issues at a national level, including segregation, abortion, and most recently gay marriage. Numerous politicians, from both the left and right, periodically call for the end of judicia

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

As the country marks the 42nd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, the Republican-controlled 114th Congress has introduced several pro-life bills that have some calling this the most pro-life Congress in history. One particular bill, however, has led one GOP congresswoman to try to delay a vote. HR 36, the "Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act," was introduced at the start of the new Congress by U.S. Reps. Marsha Blackburn and Trent Franks. The legislation would halt abortions, except

On Thursday, January 15, oral arguments were made before the California State Appeals Court in San Francisco in the case Rubin v. Bowen. Third parties continue to challenge the nonpartisan, top-two open primary in the state, claiming that the system violates the association rights of political parties and disenfranchises third-party voters in the general election. Richard Winger, who runs the site Ballot-Access.org, wrote a post on the oral arguments, implying that third parties were poorly re