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Update: A Senate bill to implement semi-open primaries passed the Senate in a bipartisan vote on Monday, February 20. Senate Bill 73 would allow unaffiliated voters to choose between a party ballot in taxpayer-funded primary elections. The bill now goes to the state House for consideration. Open primaries are once again before state lawmakers in New Mexico – a state where a quarter of registered voters are denied full and meaningful participation in elections. The bill went before the state Ho

Voters have expressed their desire to see systemic reform to how we elect our public officials. When asked what specific reforms they want in a recent poll, many said they would like to see a proportional representation system -- which would mean a complete election overhaul. What would proportional representation mean? Proportional representation is exactly how it sounds. An electoral district is not represented by a single seat, but multiple seats that are proportionally allocated among can

Here’s the headline from the Washington Post that arrived in my email this week: “Most Americans say Biden has not accomplished much since taking office, Post-ABC poll finds” Upon clicking on the headline, to read more, the actual story at the WaPo continues with these sub-heads: “Most Americans say Biden has accomplished 'not very much' or 'little or nothing' during his time in office” “Most Americans think Biden has not created more jobs, improved roads and bridges, or made electric cars m

The 118th Congress is off to a rocky start. First, it took 15 votes for the majority to elect a Speaker – a debacle that included a scuffle on the House floor. Now, the majority has adopted new House rules that gut (quite literally) the Office of Congressional Ethics. RepresentUs, the nation’s largest anti-corruption organization, has spoken out against the new rules, asserting that they will make it harder to identify and fight corruption in Congress. “What possible explanation could the new

Billionaire industry titan Mark Cuban has a solution for the ongoing Speaker dilemma is the US House: Use ranked choice voting. “Is there a better commercial for Rank Choice Voting than what is going on with the Speaker's vote in the House?” Cuban tweeted Thursday. “The current system, from primary to generals to speaker voting, empowers the extremes to the expense of constituents. Time to change.” This is not the first time Cuban has spoken in favor of ranked choice voting. He praised electio

Independent voters are often ignored by the media and pollsters. They are vilified by the major parties for not picking a side. Yet, in the 2022 midterms and in every election in recent history, independent voters have defined the outcomes. Independent voters have decided presidential and high-profile US Senate and congressional races. Independent voters have also driven historic reform victories to give Americans elections that are fairer, more competitive, and more accountable. This is a seg

The most critical movement right now in the US is to give voters an election system that is accountable, competitive, and free of corruption. Hundreds of organizations across the country are working toward meeting this goal, and many of the movement’s leaders met in December to celebrate victories and discuss next steps. The National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers (NANR) hosted its annual summit in San Diego, California. It was the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic that member

Editor's Note: This article, written by David Levins, originally published on The Fulcrum and has been re-published on IVN with permission from the publisher. Levine is an elections integrity fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, which develops strategies to deter and defend against autocratic efforts to interfere in democratic institutions. Should members of Congress be able to object to election results as part of a strategy to draw greater attention to election reform efforts, as tw

While there’s lots of talk about “red waves” and “blue waves,” what really deserves the headlines is the “reform wave” that’s sweeping the country. From coast to coast, election reform was on the ballot, and voters overwhelmingly supported it. Votes are still being counted in a number of states, but a few wins we already know: Ranked Choice Voting was adopted by voters in Seattle, WA; Ojai, CA; Fort Collins, CO; Evanston, IL; Portland, ME; Portland, OR, and Multnomah County, Oregon. Money in

Editor's Note: This article originally published on The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher. Four years ago, when the nation headed to the polls in the middle of Donald Trump’s divisive term as president, half of eligible voters cast a ballot. Last week, preliminary data shows overall turnout was down a few percentage points. But some states saw an increase in voter participation. According to preliminary data collected by the U.S. Election Project, three