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Fear mongering media outlets have convinced many that we are losing the war on terror at home. The truth is, however, that we are doing quite well. According to the October Terror Threat Snapshot, released by the Majority Staff of the Homeland Security Committee, US authorities have arrested 109 suspects in ISIS related incidences since 2014. The report states, “These individuals had, among other acts: plotted attacks; attempted to join ISIS in Iraq and Syria (or facilitated others’ travel); p

I've written many times on the Electoral College. While there are problems we should address, I'm not for the wholesale elimination of the concept. I'll admit, I'm a center-left, cross-ballot voter. This year, my ballot looked like a Christmas tree, lit up with red, blue, and yellow blips of light that would drive any exit-pollster nuts -- and as such, in the last 16 years I've been 'burned' twice by my presidential pick winning the popular vote while losing the Electoral College. But enough i

You may be asking how the Libertarian Party could have won the 2016 election with no seats in Congress and with its presidential candidate finishing in a very, very distant third place behind the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton. But in an election year that everyone considers eccentric at the least, it might not be which party technically "won" so much as which party made forward strides, and by that measure it's a great year to be a Libertarian. For each of the main two political parties

Everyone has heard the grade school story of why we have elections on the first Tuesday in November. It was after harvest time, market days were on Wednesday, and people didn't want to have to travel on Sundays to get to the polls -- that naturally left only Tuesdays or Fridays as the option, with Fridays occasionally being holidays for many religious adherents. But reviewing the Congressional Globe, the written record of the 23rd through 42nd Congresses paints a much, much darker picture -- wi

Raise your hand if you think that the president of the United States should be elected by the popular vote. Ah, it looks like most of you do. Hands down and know that you’re not alone. In fact, poll after poll, for quite some time, has shown that most Americans would like to replace the Electoral College delegate system with the popular vote – one person, one vote and the candidate with the most votes wins. Gallup has asked the question since 1944, and a majority has always supported an end to

As the general election nears, FairVote will discuss problems with our election system and electoral solutions offered by ranked choice voting.In a previous blog post, we discussed the problems that can arise when more than two candidates run, and one candidate can without a majority. In reaction to this problem, many states and localities hold a second election featuring the top two vote-getters if no candidate in the primary or general election wins a majority of the vote. This second election

Donald Trump said during Wednesday night’s debate that he couldn’t guarantee that he will accept the results of the November 8 election, but would have to “look at it at the time.” Trump has repeatedly warned in recent months that the election will be “rigged” and added on Thursday that he’ll accept the results “if I win.” While close elections have led to court battles and recounts, once the results have been finalized, no presidential candidate in U.S. history has contested the result. But i

It seems that in every political discussion that involves more than a dozen people, two things are sure to happen: someone is called a 'Hitler' and someone blames our political woes on the Electoral College. Godwin's law seems absolute, but we really don't have a good term for people who think that eliminating the Electoral College is the cure. Even stranger, it always seems like the supporters of this tend to be on the conservative side -- which the Electoral College favors by giving the rura

Como republicano, anterior representante del 25avo Distrito Congresional de California (1993-2015), y Presidente del Comité de las Fuerzas Armadas del Congreso, fui testigo de primera mano de la ética laboral de Loretta Sánchez, de su atinado juicio, y su compromiso para asegurar la seguridad de los Californianos. Me da un gran orgullo el dar mi apoyo a la persona más calificada para representar a la gente de California, sin importar el partido, y le pido a mis conciudadanos de California que se

The 2016 Presidential election has been dubbed by many as a choice between “the lesser of two evils” and many voters are so disenchanted with the entire process that they are threatening to sit out this year. In response to discontent with the available choices, disgust with political corruption, and a feeling that their vote doesn't matter, many Americans question why they should bother to register to vote in the first place. Voter apathy is not something new in America, but in a USA Today pol