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History almost repeated itself in California’s 31st Congressional District. In 2010, California voters approved a nonpartisan, top-two open primary system whereby qualifying candidates of any political affiliation appear on a single primary ballot accessible to any eligible voter. The two candidates who receive the most votes then appear on the final general election ballot. Following redistricting in 2010, the demographics in CA-31 shifted the district to "leaning Democratic," making Republica

. Twelve percent of those arrests were for drug-related crimes, the highest fraction of any category of crimes. Throughout the history of the drug war, state and federal law enforcement agencies have cracked down on abusers and dealers alike. During the 1960s, while conducting narcotic experimentation, the U.S. government simultaneously founded the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD). The BNDD commissioned a study in 1969 that found a strong correlation

When discussing how our nation treats its veterans, the logical starting point is 1781 with the disbanding of the Continental Army after the Revolutionary War. Elaborate promises were made to both officers and enlisted men during the war, all of which were totally ignored by the government now under the Articles of Confederation. The first veterans law passed in the United States was an Act by the Continental Congress in 1776 promising a half-pay pension for life for all wounded officers, soldi

California’s top-two primary system, put into place in 2010 by the voter-approved Proposition 14, is in effect for the first time in a gubernatorial election year. Eric McGhee, Public Policy Institute of California research fellow and an expert in voting behavior and political participation, explains that this election is “a dearth of competitive races.” Among these competitive races is in the 52nd Congressional District, where Democratic U.S. Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego) is expected to face

In 2010, California voters passed the nonpartisan, "top-two open primary" initiative. The initiative fundamentally changed the purpose of primary elections from one conducted for the purpose of electing private party nominees, to one conducted for the purpose of narrowing the field of candidates, regardless of either the voters' or candidates' party affiliation. Since its enactment, the initiative has been challenged unsuccessfully by political parties in three separate lawsuits. Each time, the

With the announced retirement of South Dakota U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D) back in March, it seemed that a takeover of the seat by Republicans was all but certain due to a lack of viable Democratic candidates. However, the surprise reemergence of former Republican Senator Larry Pressler, now running to reclaim his seat as an independent, has served to make the race more interesting "What I'm trying to do is win," said Larry Pressler in an interview for IVN. "I'm not worried about other candidat

The way we elect the president and vice president in the U.S. is quite unique compared to the way we elect every other elected office. We don't elect them directly. Instead, we vote for electors who then cast votes for a presidential ticket. Electors from each state are supposed to cast their votes for whichever candidate won that state's popular vote -- "winner takes all."  However, every once in awhile there is a rogue elector who casts a different vote as "winner takes all" is not required b

Idaho attorney Gary Allen clearly recalls how he was received by state legislators when a federal district judge ruled that the state’s open primary system was unconstitutional. “I stood in front of the legislative committee and told them, ‘You don’t have to do this,’” he said in an interview. “It isn’t in the interest of the voters or democracy or the state." "I might as well have been talking to a wall,” he added. Allen, a partner with a Boise-based law firm, saw his coalition group lose th

Service generals and former acting Deputy Secretary of Defense Christine Fox testified before a Senate panel in February that military members were ok with the proposed budget cuts to pay and benefits in favor of increasing training and outfitting expenditures. But according to a new survey from Military.com, the general consensus among the troops is that these so-called leaders are way out of touch, and that they are being less than honest with Congress and the American people about how the ran

On Friday, Kentucky U.S. Senator Rand Paul became one of the highest-profiled elected Republicans to speak out against voter identification laws. "Everybody's gone completely crazy on this voter ID thing. . . . I think it's wrong for Republicans to go too crazy on this issue because it's offending people," Paul said at a gathering of black pastors in Memphis, Tennessee. This represents a slight modification in Paul's position. In 2013, Paul spoke at Howard University, an historically black co