Search query: pennsylvania

Credit: http://www.wvik.org When it comes to deciding who to vote for, the independent voter has a daunting task ahead of them. The funds raised by the two mainstream campaigns, which have totaled over half a billion dollars each, are mostly appropriated towards getting the parties' messages out to the public, but how are those messages conveyed, and what are independent voters suppose to think? The answer to this question may seem simple at first, but in actuality, it isn't. It has been widel

Credit: theatlantic.com Republicans and Democrats just wrapped up their big conventions, but Independents and non-affiliated voters might be wondering where alternative solutions were being discussed. For the past two weeks, the Gary Johnson campaign schedule included multiple stops and events in the neighboring areas surrounding each party's convention. This past week's Democratic National Convention, held in Charlotte, North Carolina, began on Tuesday. Taking advantage of the political atmos

(Photo credit David P.) For former congressman Virgil Goode, ballot access in the upcoming presidential race has been a remarkable challenge. Among the international community, the United States has been criticized for having remarkably difficult ballot access requirements for third party candidates. An unfortunate side effect of these stringent requirements is that it can be difficult for third party platforms and candidates to gain any traction or public exposure. This is also a result of th

Credit: sodahead.com Recent skirmishes between the Republican and Libertarian parties are instructive examples of ballot access fights that too often happen elsewhere too. In Washington, the Libertarian Party claims that the Republican Party should have to run under minority party status, and in turn should be barred from the ballot having failed to make minority party deadlines. In Pennsylvania, the Republican Party is challenging the signatures amassed by the Libertarian Party in an effort to

With the 2012 presidential election still in campaign mode, it may seem premature to discuss the possibilities for 2016, but since it is also convention time, it is interesting to examine the biggest movers and shakers at the Republican and Democratic conventions. A lot can change during the next presidential term with the possibility of the full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, comprehensive fiscal reform including altering the tax code, Middle-East conflicts, and countless other fac

In an interview Monday, Brian Dougherty, a Republican National Convention delegate from the Pennsylvania delegation told IVN that if the controversial RNC rule change advanced by the Romney camp at this week's convention were in place in 1976, Ronald Reagan would have never risen to prominence in the GOP at the 1976 Republican convention, which set the stage for his successful presidential bid in 1980. Dougherty said: "Now these rules as they are, if they were in place in 1976, Ronald Reagan w

I had IVN's Republican National Convention Correspondent Tom Brown on the phone just now, and he reports from Tampa that the Pennsylvania delegation took a vote this morning to support the new RNC rules drafted by the RNC rules committee, which contain controversial measures to give the national party and winning presidential campaigns like Gov. Mitt Romney's power over which delegates each state party sends to the national convention every four years and how they can vote. The Pennsylvania del

IVN's Wes Messamore interviews RNC Delegate Brian Dougherty Monday afternoon for an inside look at the RNC rule change controversy. Dougherty offers a clear explanation of the RNC rule change at issue, the different sides of the debate, who makes up the RNC rules committee and how rules are amended, and the effects that the controversial rule change might have on the Republican Party and future Republican primaries. For an intimate look at the rule change fight from inside the convention, and a

This Week's Theme: Party Conventions For the next two weeks, Independent Voter Network will be covering the two main presidential conventions, their messages and implications for the parties. Follow the coverage on IVN. A Growing Platform for Unfiltered News. IVN is expanding its platform every week to help bring independent contributors into the news cycle. Are you a delegate? A protestor? Are you a blogger or journalist? Then we want to hear from you!  At IVN, we dont filter the news. Our

(Photo: zazzle.com Third party candidates have had a notoriously difficult road in America. Many supporters of former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson have objected to the black out treatment their man has received from the mainstream media despite respectable poll numbers in his native state. The coverage of the Constitution Party's Virgil Goode has mostly been relegated to the notion that the former congressman might siphon enough of the vote in his native Virginia and neighboring North Caro