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As a business owner and lifelong resident of Michigan, I am proud to have stood with so many of my fellow citizens soliciting signatures for days and weeks on end to get the “Nonpartisan Redistricting” and “Promote the Vote” initiatives on the ballot and successfully passed in the 2018 midterm election. They were a big win for Michigan democracy and important steps on a journey to a more representative government. Yet, there remains a large obstruction in our path to achieving a healthy, functi

The 2020 presidential field is already taking shape. Nine Democrats have announced their campaigns since December, many of whose announcements went under the radar because the lack of media coverage: * Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana * Julian Castro, former Mayor of San Antonio, Texas, and former HUD Secretary * John Delaney, former Maryland congressman and businessman * Tulsi Gabbard, Hawaii congresswoman * Kirsten Gillibrand, US Senator (NY) * Kamala Harris, US Senator (Cal

The 2018 midterms saw the highest turnout in a non-presidential national election since universal suffrage. This historic high stands in stark contrast to the 2014 midterms which saw the lowest turnout since 1946. This begs the question: is this a one-off spike in interest, or a sign of the future trajectory for U.S. elections? A number of factors probably contributed to the high turnout in 2018, but the most important is the remarkable levels of interest in politics Americans are currently dis

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - The biggest story in the 2018 election cycle was not what color of wave we saw. It was not President Donald Trump using the Ecuadorian immigrant caravan as a campaign issue. It was not the Democrats’ focus on the president’s behavior while holding the Oval Office. The biggest story in 2018 was the voter revolt against the political status quo. Political and election reform had its most groundbreaking year in half a century, and most media outlets didn’t pay attention. From

Much of the media's election coverage two weeks out from Election Day is focused on what kind of wave we are seeing -- red or blue -- and how Donald Trump will affect the outcome of the midterms. However, what often gets overlooked are the stories that matter to independent-minded voters. Here are the top 5 stories in nonpartisan news to start your week: 1. Nation's Only Independent Governor Suspends Re-Election Bid Alaska Governor Bill Walker announced late Friday that he is suspending his

There is only one governor in the US with an "I" next to their name: Alaska Governor Bill Walker. However, Walker announced late Friday that he has suspended his bid for re-election -- citing the poor odds against his campaign winning the election and preventing the candidate he least wants to win from getting elected. "With more time, I am confident that [Lieutenant Gov. Valerie Davidson] and I could deliver a message and a campaign that could earn a victory in this election," Walker wrote in

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Mike Gravel officially endorsed the Reform Party’s candidates for governor and lieutenant governor on Thursday. "I am pleased to put my full support behind Darcy Richardson and Nancy Argenziano on the Reform Party ticket in Florida," Gravel said. "Republican and Democratic elites have rejected the empowerment of regular citizens at every turn." Mike Gravel served in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1954, working in the Counterintell

BALTIMORE, MD. - Last week, it was the Albuquerque Journal. This week, it is the Baltimore Sun.  It seems election reform is on the mind of a number of editorial boards just weeks before the midterm elections. It must be a sign of the times. It is getting increasingly harder to ignore the presence of independent voters in the registered voting population and elections -- particularly their exclusion from critical stages of the elections process. Maryland conducts semi-closed primary elections

https://soundcloud.com/independent-voter-podcast/a-conversation-with-state-superintendent-candidate-marshall-tuck San Diego, CA.- While it certainly doesn't have the political fervor associated with partisan politics, make no mistake, the race for Superintendent of California is hotly contested. Candidates Marshall Tuck and Tony Thurmond have been trading barbs over the direction of the states school system, responsible for educating more than 6 million students. Marshall Tuck has spent most

The 2018 primary season will go down in history.A record number of women secured party nominations, including the headline-making upsets by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley. Retiring incumbents drew large numbers of diverse candidates competing for the open seat. Voter turnout peaked in several states and districts with competitive primaries.Topping the highlight reel was Maine, which became the first state in the country to use ranked choice voting in its June primary, with plans to