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A recent poll shows that presumptive nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have record-high unfavorability ratings: 55 percent and 70 percent, respectively. Yet despite their unpopularity, the general electorate may not be exposed to third party candidates as an alternative. This is largely a result of the rules governing who is included in the presidential debates. According to guidelines set by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), a candidate must poll at 15 percent to be invited

With many voters disappointed with their choices for president in the presumptive nominees of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, many are considering alternative candidates. Thus far, the greatest beneficiary of this disappointment has been Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson, who is consistently polling in double digits in three-way contests with Clinton and Trump. Johnson's growing popularity is alarming many conservatives, who fear that Johnson could play the role of "spoiler" by siphoni

Too often in American history, we romanticize about a past that never happened. One of these beliefs, that the Founding Fathers were a group of inexperienced politicians, is particularly damaging in modern politics when we consider placing inexperienced business leaders into positions of authority. Reality was that all of the Founding Fathers who eventually became president were very active in politics from a young age. For example, George Washington was active in the House of Burgesses, Virgi

Now that the major parties have all but decided who their nominees will be – with the official nominations coming this July – leaders in both parties are eager to unify their respective bases and discourage voters from considering independent and third party alternatives. Yet this task will prove especially difficult this election season, as the presumptive nominees, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, both have unfavorability ratings above 50 percent. Many members of both parties are dissatisfi

During the 2016 election, it is estimated that 43 states will use electronic voting machines that are at least 10 years old. In an era where consumers are constantly updating their personal technology, why is it that Americans are voting on machines using Windows 2000? A study released by the Brennan Center for Justice in 2015 explains that most of these machines are perilously close to the end of their lifespan. Outdated voting machines increase the risk of failures and crashes which could lea

By sheer statistical coincidence, the percentage of Americans who self-identify as independents (approximately 40 percent) is nearly identical to the percentage of Americans who self-identify as moderates. This coincidence has nurtured a common misunderstanding: that independents are mostly moderates who want members of both parties to move toward the center. But a growing body of literature studying the precise political attitudes of the public – and especially moderates and independents – is

Let’s be clear here. Major-party primaries in the US are absurd. Parties in most countries select their nominees privately and pay for it on their own dime. That’s not surprising either considering that political parties are private organizations. In the US, however, parties do their primaries publicly. That may sound nice, but as private organizations, US parties get to make their own rules. These rules conveniently include who gets to vote and how those votes are counted. The benefits to ma

Faye Flam, who has written for Science Magazine and continues to write about science, mathematics, and medicine, recently explained in detail  a number of reasons why nature isn't as simple as some people believe, as exemplified by the contentious debate over transgender access to bathrooms. North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory has been attempting damage control after backlash from a bill requiring transgender people to use public bathrooms matching the gender on their birth certificate in schoo

The political commentator Michael Kinsley once quipped that in Washington, "the scandal isn't what's illegal, the scandal is what's legal." President Obama echoed this sentiment last week during his comments on the Panama Papers – the 11.5 million leaked files released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) that have disclosed how the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca set up shell companies to help wealthy individuals avoid paying domestic taxes. “There is no doub

FairVote believes that every vote should matter and be heard in every public election. The fundamental goal of any primary election system should be to help foster a general election that will include meaningful choices, real competition, and fair representation. That said, a primary election system funded by the taxpayers ideally will allow voters real choices among an array of candidates, encourage both positive and inclusive primary campaigns, and elect or advance winners that are reflective