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Alaska Far away from the mainland United States, Alaska is a conservative, red state, but with a libertarian, live-and-let-live hue and a history of openness toward marijuana. In order to get marijuana legalization on the ballot in Alaska this year, the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana in Alaska submitted more than 45,000 signatures to election officials on January 8. With only 30,000 verified signatures necessary to put their initiative on the ballot, Alaska voters will probably have the oppor

As long as I count the votes, what are you going to do about it?  - William M. “Boss” Tweed, c. 1871 History shows that for as long as the right to vote has existed, that right has been threatened. Thomas Nast’s caricature portraying “Boss” Tweed leaning against a pedestal on which stands “the Ballot” symbolizes a dark time in late nineteenth century America, where the “playing field” of politics was leveraged by party bosses and machine politics at the expense of the voters. Tammany Hall-era p

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

I’ve written here previously asking if we, the People, should be subsidizing obesity? In response, it seems a super majority (84%) believe we should not. However, many people may not know that the U.S. subsidizes sugar and high fructose corn syrup manufacturers. There is overwhelmingly good science that excess simple sugar consumption over-stimulates insulin production and can lead to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Yet, cash-strapped Americans will eat what they can afford to put on the

After a committee vote and hearings in the US Senate on the nomination of Janet Yellen to the chair of the Federal Reserve system, many in the United States wait to see if the institution she plans to lead will face any serious scrutiny. Subject to secrecy and opaque practices, the Federal Reserve is officially charged with setting monetary policy for the United States, but much of its activity is shrouded in mystery. Yet, despite some bipartisan support, there has been little movement toward a

Talk to anyone following election reform in New York, and they’ll tell you that there’s a storm on the horizon. That storm is the volatile future of campaign finance laws and regulations in the state. In one corner, there’s the “irresistible force” that is independent expenditures. In NY Progress and Protection PAC (NYPPP) v. Walsh, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals eviscerated NY’s campaign finance spending limits, but only applied said evisceration to the one PAC named in the matter. “Few

Fundraising is the backbone of political campaigns. Without the money coming in, candidates are limited to what they can afford and not everyone has pockets like Michael Bloomberg. Ironically, political parties themselves are private organizations, separate from the candidates they are affiliated with. The money they use for conventions, elections, and their overhead, or housekeeping purposes, are subsidized by the taxpayers. This creates problems with corruption and campaign finance laws, espe

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

Marijuana legalization activists gained considerable momentum this week. On Tuesday, the city of Portland, Maine, passed Question 1: 67 percent to 33 percent. The measure legalized possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana by adults over 21 years of age. Likewise, Colorado passed Proposition AA Tuesday, which added a 15 percent wholesale tax and 10 percent sales tax on marijuana transactions. These two ballot measures follow a national poll by Gallup that found support for outright legalizat

In one Maryland town, November 5, 2013 was no ordinary Election Day: it marked the beginning of a historic expansion of suffrage rights to 16- and 17-year-olds. On October 30th - the start of the city's early voting period - Takoma Park became the first city in the United States to open its polls in a general election to residents after they turn 16. They Showed Up and Showed Off Voter turnout in Takoma Park's municipal election was notably low, a likely result of no contested races or refere