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constantcontact.com The largest organization of independent voters in the country, New York City-based IndependentVoting.org, hosted a national conference call with over 150 attendees Tuesday, June 25, in which the organization's president, Jacqueline Salit, explained a new campaign designed to assist the Presidential Commission on Election Administration in identifying and redressing perceived shortcomings. The “nonpartisan” Presidential Commission on Election Administration was established t

In Minnesota, the recent decision which overturns the congressional affirmation of the provisions of the Voting Rights Act from the 1960s provoked an inappropriate tweet from a democrat in the state legislature, Rep. Ryan Winkler. I find myself torn between respect for the office of Justice of the Supreme Court, and what has appeared to me to be a long series of poor opinions, inaction, and extreme ideological decisions that are consistently harmful to the progress of legislation and efforts to

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The measure in question, designed to protect minority voters from discrimination, was ruled outdated and no longer necessary. The 5-4 decision fell along ideological lines, as most 5-4 decisions do. “Our country has changed, and while any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions

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

Ryan Rodrick Beiler / Shutterstock.com Optimism in Washington, D.C. over the prospects of passing immigration reform remains high. Last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-N.V.) announced debate on Senate Bill 744 will begin on June 10. With surprisingly little clamor from either side of Congress, immigration reform advocates believe that partisan bickering could be overcome in passing immigration reform this year. Many Republicans have long opposed any comprehensive immigration reform,

The Favorable Winds of Pride I've spent most of the morning watching the House of Lords in Great Britain debate same-sex marriage.  The legislation has already passed the House of Commons and is now awaiting approval from the upper chamber.  Today was only the second reading and debate on a proposed amendment.  And just last week, I watched as the Illinois House of Representatives decided not to vote on same-sex marriage, though the deadline for the bill was extended through the summer so it co

Credit: nyunews.com Student loan debt has totalled $1.1 trillion nationwide and many college graduates struggle to pay these loans back. The federal government is rushing to find a solution to the interest rate it sets for student loans which is currently set to double from 3.4 to 6.8 percent in July if nothing is done. California's students have generally strayed away from the student loan debt crisis. The state's average of student loan debt is $10,180 less than the national average. However

Credit: nbcbayarea.com Mark Zuckerberg's 501(c)(4) organization, FWD.us, took another political blow last week when two key donors publicly left the super PAC. Focused on the expansion of the H1-B visas, FWD.us recently launched a series of advertisements featuring lawmakers pushing for immigration reform. The group is sending out two sets of ads from two separate subsidiaries: "Americans for a Conservative Direction," targeted towards conservatives, and the “Council for American Job Growth,”

Mark Van Scyoc / Shutterstock.com A Gallup Poll released Tuesday examined the attitudes of over 1,500 voters residing in all 50 states and Washington D.C. by asking the question, "In general, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time?" Only 24 percent of Americans reported being satisfied, while 22 percent of independents responded similarly. Since the poll began in 1979, overall satisfaction was at its highest point (most recently) in 2

zimmytws / Shutterstock.com WASHINGTON, D.C. -- House Republicans released a bill last week to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling by permanently setting them according to the markets, an idea initially put out by President Obama’s 2014 budget proposal. The bill, known as the "Smarter Solutions for Students Act," would include all federal loans, except the Perkins loan and cap the rates at 8.5 for Stafford loans and at 10.5 percent for graduate and parent PLUS loans. Currently, l