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Maine voters overwhelmingly approved Question 2 on Tuesday, a ballot measure that prohibits direct and indirect electioneering from foreign governments and foreign government-owned entities in candidate and ballot measure elections. With 45% of precincts reporting in, 86% of voters said 'Yes' to Question 2. Federal prohibitions on foreign spending in elections already applied to candidate races. However, there is a loophole on the subject of ballot referendums, and in the past few years over $

Maine citizens will vote on a ballot measure this November that, if passed, would prevent foreign governments and foreign government-owned entities from spending millions of dollars to influence state elections each election cycle. Maine Question 2 extends existing federal law prohibiting foreign electioneering in state elections and adds prohibitions to ballot measures, meaning no direct or indirect election spending from foreign governments or entities in which a foreign government has at lea

We received your announcement that you will be stepping down as moderator of NBC’s “Meet The Press” with mixed reaction. Of course, we are happy that you are on to your next chapter and wish you all the best.

It is no coincidence that as the nation witnesses an explosion in pro-voter reform successes, partisan state lawmakers across the country are trying to undermine citizen initiatives, and block nonpartisan primary reform and new voting methods designed to give people more choice. In 2023, governors in Idaho and South Dakota have signed laws that prohibit the use of ranked choice voting (RCV) in their states. HB 598 in Montana, which seeks to do the same thing, has passed the legislature, while a

The Missouri House approved a proposal Thursday that would make it harder for citizens to amend the state’s constitution via ballot initiative. The resolution would raise the vote threshold to pass constitutional changes from a simple majority to 60%. This has been a continued effort by state lawmakers. The threat to the ballot initiative process is so serious that in 2022 a two-thirds vote requirement had to be stopped by a filibuster in the state Senate. The resolution now heads to the Senat

The nonpartisan reform group Open Primaries hosted a virtual discussion Wednesday to talk about the growing demand for primary reform that gives all voters, regardless of political affiliation, an equal and meaningful say in elections. According to Open Primaries, local movements to reform the primaries have emerged in over a dozen states -- states that limit or completely restrict primary ballot access to members of the Republican and Democratic Parties. As over 90% of elected officials sit in

An overwhelming majority of Arkansas voters rejected Issue 2 on the ballot Tuesday. The measure would have raised the minimum threshold to pass future state ballot initiatives to 60% of the vote, and no doubt would have deterred many future reform efforts in the state. "We are extremely happy that Arkansans overwhelmingly defeated Issue 2 & kept power where it belongs - in the hands of voters,” said Bonnie Miller, chair of Protect AR Constitution. “We sent a clear message to politicians & lobb

Another Election Day is quickly approaching in the US, and many voters have an opportunity to add their voices to the growing repudiation of an election system that has failed to represent and provide for the country’s citizenry. Since 2016, the number of ballot initiatives to reform US elections has grown exponentially. 2018 was the biggest year in half a century for voting improvements. 2020 and 2021 built on the momentum with fairer voting proposals, independent redistricting, and initiative

The ballot measure process has been critical to the success of nonpartisan reforms across the country. However, according to new research by RepresentUs, 11 states have proposed over 60 laws to make it harder for citizens to have a direct say in the way their state’s political process works. Citizens have used ballot initiatives to approve independent redistricting commissions, primary reform, new voting methods, anti-corruption laws and more. It has been the single greatest tool to challenge t

Editor's Note: This piece originally appeared in the Rapid City Journal and has been republished on IVN with permission from the author. ‍ I am a fourth generation South Dakotan and a lifelong Republican. I was once again disappointed last week as another legislative session came to an end marked by senseless disputes between far-right Republicans and their slightly more moderate brethren on issues of little importance to most of us. They debate issues like limiting the rights of the small num