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Bal Harbour, Florida is a small village of just 2,574 people, with a police force compromised of 27 officers. Yet, one not so small thing about Bal Harbour is the amount of money the police department seizes through civil asset forfeiture. In fact, the Justice Department is actually investigating this practice by the village’s police. The Miami Herald reported that federal “agents have frozen millions that Bal Harbour helped confiscate under a program that allows police to seize the riches of c

Photo: Mark Stahl The auto industry's bailout is a hot topic of this election and, of course, a vital element of the United States' economy. According to an April report from the Center for Automotive Research, eight million private sector jobs are impacted by US auto manufacturers, suppliers, and dealers. The vital revenue received from automotive purchases trickles down to other industries: almost one-fifth of American steel production and nearly three-fifths of its rubber output go to the au

Photo: Mark Stahl The auto industry's bailout is a hot topic of this election and, of course, a vital element of the United States' economy. According to an April report from the Center for Automotive Research, eight million private sector jobs are impacted by US auto manufacturers, suppliers, and dealers. The vital revenue received from automotive purchases trickles down to other industries: almost one-fifth of American steel production and nearly three-fifths of its rubber output go to the au

Credit: Netexpert.co.za Accessibility is paramount in establishing an online voting system. Next to accessibility, familiarity, and consequentially ease of use, are two of the most important factors to be considered when crafting the system. A new online voting system where the interface is substantially different than traditional methods could confuse voters or dissuade them from participating. The intention of an online voting system is increasing the ability to participate, crafting a system

IVN is committed to the belief that democracy works best when the most people participate. One of the ways we encourage that at IVN is through the use of social media. We've created channels on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, and Tumblr to reach out to users online who share a frustration with politics today. Over the course of the next few weeks, IVN will be hosting a series of tweet chats during the presidential debates. This is a unique opportunity for an open discussion. Ind

While Obama and Romney are preparing for a debate in which they won't let the former New Mexico Governor participate, the Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson was holding an "online town hall" in Utah for anyone who wanted to participate; literally everyone in the world. And while Johnson has taken his candidacy seriously by filing both a novel anti-trust lawsuit against the Commission on Presidential Debates and for an injunction against the FEC, it was all fun and games when Gary J

While Obama and Romney are preparing for a debate in which they won't let the former New Mexico Governor participate, the Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson was holding an "online town hall" in Utah for anyone who wanted to participate; literally everyone in the world. And while Johnson has taken his candidacy seriously by filing both a novel anti-trust lawsuit against the Commission on Presidential Debates and for an injunction against the FEC, it was all fun and games when Gary J

credit: Laura Seitz, Deseret News The race for Utah's 4th Congressional District features the Beehive State's only incumbent Democrat, Jim Matheson, and Republican mayor from Saratoga Springs, Mia Love. Matheson, who has represented Utah’s 2nd district for twelve years, is facing unfamiliar voters following the 2010 Census’ redistricting efforts. He is also the chair for the Blue Dog Coalition’s task force on energy. The newly created 4th district is still largely Republican, as was the 2nd, b

State primaries are in a truly very sad state. Voters don’t understand the importance of primaries. Voter turnout in every State primary has always been horrible. Primaries defeat the principle of representative democracy. Primaries give incumbents a big advantage over challengers. Next Tuesday, New York, Colorado, Oklahoma and Utah have primaries. And, the beat goes on. One reason for poor turnout is that voters are often ignorant of the importance of primaries. For any office that is safe for

In California’s first non-partisan open primary, voter turnout across party lines was a low 31.6%. This could, in part, be attributable to President Obama and Mitt Romney having locked up their nominations prior to California's open primary vote. There is no evidence or reports of voter confusion or administrative failures with the primary’s implementation. The Independent Voter Project sponsored the following open primary analysis on the strengths and weaknesses of independent candidates. Cal