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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

Early voting in California is quickly approaching for the 2022 election cycle. In most elections, voters will choose among candidates from two different parties -- but in several districts -- the “top-two” nonpartisan primary has led to head-to-head races between two Democrats. Importantly, most of these races are in heavily Democratic districts where, under a traditional primary system, the race would all but be decided already. Instead, progressive and more moderate Democrats are battling for

State Senator Brian Jones joins host T.J. O’Hara on Deconstructed to discuss California politics. Senator Jones represents the 38th District that covers the vast majority of San Diego County. He previously served six years in the State Assembly before being term-limited under California law and also served as a member of the Santee City Council both before and after his term in the State Assembly. He currently is the Vice Chair of three Senate committees and sits on four other committees as well

Editor's Note: The pieces below feature two sides to the ongoing discussion on ranked choice voting from Deb Otis of FairVote and John Aldrich, Pfizer-Pratt University Professor of Political Science, Duke University. These perspectives originally published on Divided We Fall and have been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher. Ranked-Choice Voting Results in More Democratic Outcomes By Deb Otis Ranked-choice voting (RCV) is the fastest-growing election reform in the country.

Now, with the success of Alaska, and perhaps others, blowing wind to their backs -- San Diego could be poised for its own success.

The reform landscape has changed over the last few years. Solutions that were once presented at odds with each other have combined efforts to give voters fairer, more equitable, and more accountable elections. The first success story of this can be found in Alaska, where the state conducted its first top-four nonpartisan primary for most of its elections on August 16, and used ranked choice voting for the first time in a special election for the state’s single congressional seat. A majority of

Edward Ring returns to the program to discuss his new book, The Abundance Choice. Ed is one of the leading voices in California to address our rapidly accelerating water shortage.

A new nonpartisan primary and ranked choice voting initiative has qualified for the statewide ballot in Nevada. The proposal would make Nevada one of the earliest states to adopt RCV, but also seeks to implement the nation’s first top-five nonpartisan primary. “The lack of inclusivity and representation in Nevada’s current election system emphasizes how outdated the process truly is, demonstrating the major need for change throughout the state,” said Nevada Voters First Coalition Director A’Esh

Independent voters are used to seeing people blame them for anything that happens in US politics. They are told that if only they voted for “Candidate X” a particular action wouldn’t have happened. The accusation has been raised time and time again, and it is surfacing once more in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. People have said, “If you didn’t vote for Hillary Clinton, this is your fault.” It is an emotionally-charged accusation. It is also one that fails to

California voters have a chance to make history this year by electing independent leaders to the state’s top executive offices for the first time in modern history. Among these independent candidates is an openly gay, pro-choice, tough on crime, Republican-turned-independent running for attorney general. No Party Preference (NPP) gubernatorial candidate Michael Shellenberger has tremendous financial backing, and could beat out a weak Republican field with a message that targets Democrats’ poor