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Eight years ago, there was a competition still in play between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton when the California primary rolled around. But, even though the Democratic Party allowed independent votes to be counted toward the selection of convention delegates, then Secretary of State Alex Padilla refused to eliminate the arcane and undemocratic barriers to voting left over from partisan primary rules more than half a century old. ALSO READ: California Court Says It's Ok to Suppress Independ

Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster does not support calls from within his party to close primary elections to registered party members only. He has long pushed back against claims that non-party members will infiltrate the primaries to manipulate outcomes.

The election day colloquially referred to as Super Tuesday used to mean something. It's an election date traditionally held in early March and is known for hosting the most presidential preference elections on a single day each election cycle. In 2024, Super Tuesday falls on March 5. In most cases, states that will hold presidential preference contests on this date are in the middle of early voting, including the nation's most populous state: California. In total, 16 states will hold president

In 2010, California voters took the first step in empowering every California voter by abolishing party-controlled closed partisan primaries in favor of open nonpartisan primaries that advance the top two vote-getters to the November election. 

The California primaries are coming up fast. On March 5, Super Tuesday, Californians will go to the polls, but while much of the nation's attention will be on the presidential contest, voters will participate in nonpartisan primaries for all non-presidential races in the state.

Photo Credit: Matt Johnson / Flickr The Libertarian Party of California (:PCA) has set the stage for a presidential forum and debate unlike anything voters are accustomed to seeing at its annual convention. Not only has the party opened its doors to independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr, but it also announced that Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein will be present during a presidential candidate panel. "We are excited to host Dr. Stein and Mr. Kennedy," said LPCA Chair Adam F. Malagon.

Over 70,000 voters cast a ballot in the Republican primary -- and none of those votes are considered "legitimate" by the GOP. 

1. You See the Legitimacy of Opposing Views Voters have become accustomed to the simple red-versus-blue, liberal-versus-conservative goal posts that have been set up by the drivers of American politics. Hyper-polarization has reached such extremes that no matter the position, the "other side" is always wrong, evil, and brainwashed. Being independent is a mindset. It does not mean a person lacks ideology or that they have to be "neutral" or "moderate." It means being grown up enough to think cr

Photo Credit: Colin Lloyd on Unsplash A federal judge blocked an effort by the Colorado Republican Party Friday to deny independent voters access to the party's primary elections. The court ruled that the GOP failed to provide evidence of a substantial burden to its interests or its constitutional rights. The ruling also found that the party's constitutional challenge to Colorado's semi-open primary rules put in place under the voter-approved Proposition 108 in 2016 would likely fail because o

California’s ‘top-two’ nonpartisan primary creates election dynamics that are much different than you see in most states because, instead of candidates vying for the hearts and minds of their party-base -- all voters, including independent voters, can cast their vote for any candidate they choose. That means, this March, some Democratic candidates will need votes from independent and Republican voters to advance to the general election in November. Candidates talking to all voters may generall