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As the 2014 midterm elections approach, parties and candidates are organizing, and potential swing districts are already in campaign mode. One such district, the Illinois 13th, stretches from Collinsville in the west and south up through central Illinois and includes Springfield, as well as Bloomington and Champaign-Urbana. The incumbent is Republican U.S. Representative Rodney Davis, a 44-year-old from Taylorville. The 2014 election marks Davis' first time defending his seat. After years of

While the entire military voting system is broken, there are some states whose military absentee voting records are particularly shocking, and it seems that the Department of Defense and state voting officials are simply passing the buck -- pointing the finger at each other as the problem. In the end, it adds up to the disenfranchisement of military voters. According to a report from the Military Voter Protection Project (MVPP), the picture during the 2012 election was not pretty, and unless s

In Illinois, Democrats hold 12 out of 18 U.S. congressional districts. In the 12th district, one chosen by National Journal as likely to flip, Republicans are hoping to make the switch happen. The 12th district stretches from East St. Louis in the west -- with a chunk removed in the middle -- to the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers in the south. The district leans Democrat, is largely agricultural, but might be leaving its incumbent vulnerable. The incumbent is Democrat Bill Enya

Primaries first began in the early twentieth century as a response to increasingly strong party control over elections. At the time, voters wanted a larger say in who would be chosen as their candidate, instead of the long-standing tradition of party bosses choosing who would run for office. Progressive reformers viewed direct primaries as a way for constituencies to increase transparency and allow for citizens to participate in the electoral process. As primaries became a feature of local, stat

"A house divided against itself cannot stand. . . . It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery, will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in all the States.”—Abraham Lincoln, 1858 His “House Divided” speech at the 1858 Republican Convention in Illinois was not, as we often remember it

Legislators from California, Texas, and Illinois gathered last week to participate in the Independent Voter Project Business and Leadership Conference in Hawaii. Also in attendance were representatives from key business sectors including energy, high tech, bio tech, and manufacturing. The stated goal of the annual conference is to create a space for open dialogue and candid policy discussion. Its location, alone, always stirs objections from Common Cause and the media. But, this year, the confe

There are basically five ways for money to flow into politics; well, six if you include the revolving door -- oh wait -- there's also the spousal side door and family back door — so that makes seven. The following is a list of the top 10 individuals who donate to 527s, nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations with the primary purpose of influencing elections. Data was collected from the Center for Responsive Politics on OpenSecrets.org, which supplies a wealth — pun intended — of information. 10. A

Last week, both Illinois and Hawaii passed same-sex marriage making them the 15th and 16th states to do so. Overall, 2013 has been quite a year for the LGBT community. These last two states just seem to put the icing on the proverbial cake. It all comes on the heals of the 2012 election where voters in three states (Maine, Maryland, and Washington) approved same-sex marriage and rejected a ban on it in the state of Minnesota. So, what has transpired during the year? Rhode Island, Delaware, Mi

The backbone of any candidate's political platform is built off of the promises he/she makes to voters to get elected and stay elected. Whether or not these promises are kept is the ruler by which a leader's success is measured. When it comes to the current president however, Obama has fallen short on the promises that were made in 5 key areas: Closing Guantanamo Bay, keeping ones healthcare, government transparency, warrantless surveillance, and protecting whistle-blowers. Closing Guantanamo

While much focus was put on the major gubernatorial and mayoral races across the nation on Tuesday, Illinois lawmakers approved the legalization of same-sex marriage. The law will go before Governor Pat Quinn who is expected to make Illinois the fifteenth state to allow gay couples to wed. Currently, Illinois allows civil unions for same-sex couples, but for many the law didn't go far enough to ensure equal rights for all couples. The legalization of same-sex marriage in Illinois comes not even