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Abysmal congressional approval ratings have become the norm in our hyper-partisan political environment and government dysfunction is now cited as the most pressing issue facing our nation. Problem solving and compromise have been replaced by party politics and congressional gridlock, bringing our government to a halt in 2013. But it would be a mistake to say that Republicans and Democrats don't compromise on anything. Over the last 200 years, they have worked together to create districts that

When Congress returns to session there will be many topics on the agenda ranging from a possible declaration of war against the Islamic State to immigration reform. Yet for one congressman from North Carolina, another issue takes precedence. Last December, Walter Jones, a Republican from the Tar Heel State, introduced the simply titled HR 428: Urging the president to release information regarding the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks upon the United States. A short bill, Jones believes: "(

There are three methods of proportional representation advocates most commonly present: cumulative voting, limited voting, and ranked-choice voting. Each has been used in the United States, mainly in local and county elections, with decent success. The first two systems only simulate proportional voting while ranked-choice can fully incorporate proportional voting. Cumulative voting is a system used in multi-seat elections where the voter is given a number of ballots equal to the number of sea

As the 2014 general election season comes into view, absentee voters in some states will participate in the voting process under new rules. Here’s a rundown of new absentee ballot rules for Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Ohio. Colorado Colorado has shifted to an all-mail voting system. Voters still have the option of voting in person, but the vast majority choose to mail in their vote. In 2012, before the new rules were passed, 74 percent of Coloradans voted by mail. Mail v

According to a Washington Post Election Lab projection from May 2014, an incumbent in 405 of the 435 House contests has a 90 percent chance or greater of winning his or her seat, leaving only 30 seats still relatively up for grabs. Other prominent forecasters, such as the Cook or Rothenberg outfits, have similar predictions that approximately 10 percent of House races are competitive.These numbers follow a trend that has been seen in recent election cycles. In the 2002 and 2004 elections, a majo

During Clinton’s uphill re-election campaign in 1996, the president relied heavily on the aid of pollsters. With the help of strategists such as Doug Schoen, Dick Morris, and Mark Penn, the president identified the concerns and personalities of swing voters (such as whether they preferred the TV shows Friends or Home Improvement) and sampled slogans -- even entire paragraphs of speeches -- in order to discover how to appeal to them. In the midst of this re-branding of the president and the stra

Two federal district courts are expected to rule on the constitutionality of ag-gag laws, laws which make it illegal for undercover investigators -- often from established animal rights groups -- to enter agricultural operations under false pretenses and make audio or video recordings documenting animal abuse. A coalition of animal rights groups, including the Center for Food Safety and the Animal Legal Defense Fund, joined the American Civil Liberties Union and nearly a dozen other litigants i

It’s no secret that the Keystone issue is a political powder keg. Neither is it a secret that it’s a controversial topic pitting two traditional foes: environmentalists versus big oil. Very murky, however, is what benefit Keystone XL offers the United States.As in so many situations, in order to understand the present, we need to understand the past and Keystone has a bit of a checkered and rapidly evolving past. With blinding speed, progress on the Keystone project began in 2005 when it was pr

For the 46.5 million Americans living below the poverty line, 16 million of which are children, life has become a consistent struggle. This struggle does not simply begin and end with monetary concerns, but in fact surrounds both a physical and mental exertion of the individual.Using the national U.S. census and NCCP, researchers found that in 2013, the poverty line rested at $11,490, a number which equates an individual working full time while only making $5.00 – far below the national minimum

As a non-presidential election year, voter turnout in 2014 is not likely to be very high. Congressional approval remains below 15 percent. North Carolina voter turnout is expected to be less than 20 percent. If recent trends continue, the average primary turnout this election will hover around the record low of 17.3 percent in 2012. In light of these dim numbers, a group of independent voters is organizing what they call a "Voting Rights are Primary" campaign. They will be picketing and distrib