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Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher. ‍ The National Task Force on Electoral Crises has been doing yeoman's work all year to shed light on threats to democracy and debunking rumors. Today, the bipartisan group released a carefully researched and well-documented takedown of the idea that state legislatures may send rogue slates of electors to vote their own way in the Electoral College. The briefing,

America is waiting for the drama of the 2020 presidential election to play itself out. Votes are still being counted. Lawsuits have and will continue to be filed. The heated divide between the parties is on full display while US voters desperately want politicians to put the needs of the country ahead of the gain-seeking interests of their parties. The biggest story lost in the chaos are the movements to give voters a fairer, more accountable process that empowers all voters and leads to more

Now that Californians have voted to keep ride-hailing drivers classified as contractors with limited job benefits, unions are shoring up their defenses as labor lawyers eye legal challenges and hope that Democrat Joe Biden ekes out a White House victory. In a major blow to organized labor, 58% of California voters have thus far backed Proposition 22, sending ride-hailing giants’ stock prices soaring Wednesday. Labor groups that spent $20 million against Prop. 22, meanwhile, are warning that the

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher. ‍ It's often hard to see, but much more is at stake Tuesday than the presidency and control of Congress. Voters get to shape public policy by approving or rejecting more than 100 statewide ballot measures and dozens more local proposals — and this exercise in direct democracy includes plenty of ideas for bettering American democracy itself. More than a score of m

Represent San Diego and Independent Voter Project presented a screening of Daniel Falconer’s award-winning anti-corruption documentary, "UnRepresented," to an audience of 120 democracy reform advocates and concerned citizens on Oct. 10. The screening was followed by a lively and in-depth discussion of the challenges raised by the film’s unflinching look at the current state of American democracy. "UnRepresented" is a short film with a big message: legalized political corruption is ruining our d

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher. All across the country, the consistent theme of this presidential year has been turmoil. A confusingly huge field of candidates vying to take on a norm-busting incumbent was just the start. The normally boring rules for conducting elections have been in high-profile upheaval since the coronavirus outbreak took hold in the spring, as most states grappled with how t

Headlines publish every day about record turnout and absentee ballot requests across the country. Already, turnout in the 2020 election is expected to far surpass 2016's turnout even as the nation continues to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. What this means for the election two weeks out is difficult to say. National polls suggest a huge lead for Biden, but if 2016 taught the country anything, it is that the polls can miss key blocs of voters that can change election dynamics. With that in min

When Californians approved Proposition 13 in 1978, critics of the landmark ballot measure say voters did not foresee many of the unintended consequences of capping property taxes on both residential and commercial land: lower school funding, cash-strapped cities, major corporate tax benefits. Forty-two years later, Californians are about to vote on Proposition 15, which proponents say will solve many of those problems by raising taxes on commercial properties. But opponents, and even some supp

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher. ‍ October is the last chance for most Americans to register if they want to vote for president this year. But 86 million eligible Americans, or one-third of the national total, can even sign up — and then proceed to cast a ballot — on Election Day. That's because they live in the 19 states (plus D.C.) that allow what's known as same-day registration. Eligible res

‍ Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang has added his voice behind the growing movement for systemic political and electoral reform in the US. Yang joined FairVote Senior Fellow and author David Daley for a webinar to discuss his support for ranked choice voting and why he believes it will lead to greater competition, fairness, and policy diversity in elections. Andrew Yang’s bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination was considered a long-shot from the start. However,