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The Colorado Republican Party is considering nominating its candidates through caucus rather than an open primary that would allow unaffiliated voters (independents) to participate. Voters approved two ballot initiatives in November that a) require Colorado to use primaries in presidential elections and b) open all statewide primary elections to independent voters. Proposition 108 -- the initiative that opens the state's primary elections -- included a provision that allows parties to op-out o

Venezuela Violence Following Election Fallout from the election in Venezuela is turning violent. A military base near the capital, Caracas, was attacked by armed men. The government claims to have quelled the attack, but not before some of the assailants made off with weapons. A YouTube video was released early Sunday morning calling for Venezuelans to rebel against President Nicolas Maduro after his party established an all-powerful assembly meant to secure its grip over the country. A man w

Twenty-seven times in our country’s history amendments have been made to the U.S. Constitution. They’re often made to address issues that weren’t foreseen by the Founding Fathers as they were writing the original document. It’s highly unlikely the Founding Fathers could have predicted the explosion of money in politics and the ever-expanding amount spent on campaign financing each election cycle. It’s even less likely they would have foreseen Supreme Court decisions like Citizens United, which

Host T.J. O'Hara is joined by Nick Troiano, executive director of The Centrist Project. T.J and Troiano discuss the latest endeavors of The Centrist Project, including projects in support of independent candidates across the nation, how independents could change the US’s health care discussion, what an independent caucus would look like, and more. The Centrist Project joined a coalition, including Represent.Us and the Independent Voter Project, to organize, educate, and empower grassroots acti

The election landscape in Colorado recently underwent a significant makeover. Thanks to two initiatives spearheaded by Let Colorado Vote, a coalition dedicated to expanding voter access to the ballot for all taxpaying Colorado citizens, unaffiliated voters now have the opportunity to participate in all stages of elections. Since 2008, Colorado has led the nation in the growth of unaffiliated voters who – at 35% of active voters – number more than Democrats or Republicans. The successful propo

Rising distrust in our political system is due in large part to a lack of transparency in several aspects of government. In Colorado, several organizations have taken up the cause of increasing transparency. Colorado Ethics Watch, a nonpartisan nonprofit, has been working for over 10 years in keeping the government accountable to the people it represents through government ethics work and attempting to decrease the influence of money in politics. Colorado Ethics Watch conducted a study last ye

The 2016 election provided more evidence than ever that voters are feeling frustrated by politics and feel like our elections are broken. Since November of last year, momentum for election reform has been at an all-time high. In particular, many voters are clamoring for ranked choice voting (RCV) at the state level, as passed by Maine voters last year.https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=86&v=CIz_nzP-W_cIn Colorado, RCV advocates are chomping at the bit to make the same progress in the Ce

On July 18, 2017, New Hampshire became the last of the New England states to decriminalize recreational marijuana. The new law, HB 640, had bipartisan sponsorship and bipartisan support. It will take effect in 60 days. However, the law seems to be confusing, and though it is a baby step toward it, the law does not legalize the possession of marijuana. Federal laws against marijuana are still significant barriers toward opening up marijuana markets. Justin Strekal, NORML Political Director, com

Wouldn’t it be nice if politicians engaged with their constituents in order to get their vote and their donations? One-on-one? Knocking on doors in neighborhoods? Speaking with them individually? Learning about the issues and concerns that they have, rather than listening to lobbyists and special interests? Wouldn't it also be nice if we could return as much of the legislative and voting process to one person casting a single vote? If we could get the corrupting influence of money out of politi

Colorado is home to over 1.3 million independents, yet there is not a single independent legislator in either the State House or State Senate. Independents are the largest and fastest growing group of voters but they remain voiceless in the state legislature. This is, in part, due to the anti-competitive hurdles created by the two-party system. Independent candidates must confront a political duopoly that has given itself every advantage – from ballot access rules to campaign finance regulation