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credit: Votecitizens.org Gerrymandering has become a prevalent hurdle to meaningful political participation across the country (with few exceptions, including California*). The duopoly at their finest: if you can’t win by playing fair—CHEAT. The third most important electoral reform—thy name is gerrymandering. Attention Democrats and Republicans these are Independents exhibiting open derision to your sleazy ways. Before we go on let’s review the first two important electoral reforms. The first

On the surface, it is easy to look at the real estate foreclosure crisis and blame everything on the banks. While there is no denying that these financial institutions have been a large part of the problem, there are other sides of the story. For example, those who have foreclosed on their property have to take some responsibility. Maybe these people shouldn’t have been granted a mortgage for their home, however, it doesn’t give them the right to “take the easy way out.” While the real estate

Credit: ThinkProgress The U.S. Supreme Court declared on Monday it would send the Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin case back to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals for review. In a 7-1 ruling, the court upheld the University of Texas' decision to use race in the admissions process. However, SCOTUS compelled the lower court to further elaborate the need for affirmative action and discover if using race is the only way to achieve UT-Austin's mission of a diverse student body. The case ori

There is no universally accepted definition of what it means to be an independent voter. For some, it is their continued desire to remain unaffiliated with any political party. For others, it is more about being independently minded. They may affiliate with the GOP or the Democratic Party, or a third party, but they are not party-line voters. They have their own opinions on various issues and choose not to march to the beat of the partisan drum. The fact that people have different ways of inter

Congressman Mike Rogers has become the latest Midwestern GOP House member to pass on an open Senate seat race. In the Midwest, it is becoming difficult to find high-profile Republicans for Senate races in 2014. This past week, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI 8) announced he would not seek election to replace the retiring Carl Levin (D-MI), Michigan's senior member of the United States Senate. Rogers cited his position within House leadership (he is chair of the House Intelligence Committee) and the GOP

Credit: Washington Times Can libertarianism lead to GOP victories in blue states? Rand Paul says yes. The junior senator from Kentucky has been trekking through historically Democratic strongholds lately to test this theory. Most recently, he visited arguably the bluest of blue states, California. Speaking with giants from Silicon Valley, Paul sought to explore the potential for Republicans to reach an electorate they have longed forfeited. Writing in the Washington Times, Paul said, "I thin

The community of federal campaign oversight will undergo significant downsizing following announcements from the Federal Election Commission and the House Administration Committee, Wednesday. Tony Herman, General Legal Counsel to the Federal Election Commission, will leave the agency this July and the Elections Assistance Commission (EAC) moved one inch closer to being scrapped. In a statement, FEC Chair Ellen Weintraub said, "I want to thank Tony for his outstanding service to this agency and

Last week, current Detroit Mayor Dave Bing announced he would not seek re-election for the post he has held since 2009. This opened up what would already have been a very interesting election. A total of nineteen people have filed to take part in the primary election on August 6. Although the mayoral race is technically nonpartisan, a Democrat has held the seat since 1962. The top two vote netters from the primary will then face-off on November 5. Of course, there has already been some controv

Late Tuesday, president Barack Obama announced 10 appointees to undertake the Commission on Election Administration. The commission includes both Republican and Democratic operatives, as well as academics and business professionals. From the release: “The right to vote is one of the most essential rights provided by the Constitution.  As I said in my State of the Union Address, when any American, no matter where they live or what their party, is denied that right simply because too many obstacl

Illinois Concealed Carry Debate Continues by Carl Wicklander Approximately one month separates Illinois from its deadline to enact some form of concealed carry legislation and the passions on both sides are heating up. We Should Stop Subsidizing Political Parties by Chad Peace Nowhere in our political system is power more institutionalized than in the pocket books of the political players. But a little discussed, and even lesser questioned reality is that the source from which the parties dra