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Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher. ‍ It's often hard to see, but much more is at stake Tuesday than the presidency and control of Congress. Voters get to shape public policy by approving or rejecting more than 100 statewide ballot measures and dozens more local proposals — and this exercise in direct democracy includes plenty of ideas for bettering American democracy itself. More than a score of m

Joe Biden, if he wins the presidency, has promised to create a bipartisan commission to recommend changes to the “out of whack” American court system. The commission’s prime focus will almost certainly be the Supreme Court, which to Democrats is about as out of whack as it can get. The commission will have no shortage of reform proposals from which to choose, from expanding the number of justices to requiring super majorities for certain cases to term limits. Although some also have suggested

Judicial review does not appear in the Constitution. As former Justice Antonin Scalia admitted, “The Constitution of the United States nowhere says that the Supreme Court shall be the last word on what the Constitution means…"

The democracy reform movement is having a moment right now. There are campaigns all across the country fighting gerrymandering, corruption, voter suppression, and plurality voting. Because of this, we constantly get asked, “Who are you? And why are you advocating for approval voting instead of [insert preferred reform here]?” As a relatively new organization in the reform space, we thought it was time that we re-introduce ourselves to you. We are The Center for Election Science, and here are t

California is either about to right decades of inequality between rich and poor defendants by eliminating cash bail, or it’s about to turn over its justice system to robots. The question of what to do about the system that decides whether people should be free while awaiting trial will be determined by Proposition 25. The stakes, as explained by each side, are either ending an unjust system or relinquishing judicial authority to a pretrial assessment tool run on an algorithm. If passed, Prop.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher. ‍ Voting in the presidential election ends in 40 days, and states are still making adjustments to their rules and procedures. The coronavirus pandemic, along with a wave of litigation from voting rights groups and Democrats, has resulted in 34 states deciding to make it easier to cast a ballot this fall — either voluntarily or as the result of a lawsuit. Most of

In the 44 states with state legislative elections on Nov. 3, 2020, there are 5,875 state legislative seats on the ballot. This year, 4,994 incumbents sought re-election.[3] 20.4% (1,017) had a contested primary. 79.6% (3,977) advanced to the general election without a primary challenge. * 79.6% of incumbents seeking re-election this year advanced to the general election without a primary. * 20.4% (1,107) of incumbents had a contested primary this year. This includes 20.6% of Democratic incum

This is an independent opinion. Want to respond? Write your own commentary! Email hoa@ivn.us. The Common Sense Party, a new political party being formed in California, stands for fiscal responsibility, social inclusivity and pragmatic decision-making. The party has no checklist of positions to which adherence is demanded.  Instead, a candidate must show that she or he makes decisions on the facts, not prejudice. People of good faith who disagree on any point can receive support of the Common S

The Richmond Times-Dispatch is the latest newspaper to publish an endorsement of a constitutional amendment that would end single-party control over redistricting in Virginia and bring transparency to the process. The Times-Dispatch joins other major newspaper endorsements in Virginia, including The Virginian-Pilot, The Washington Post, Daily Press, The Roanoke Times, and others. “It’s time to bring a system that has been cloaked in darkness into the public spotlight,” writes the paper. “This

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher. ‍ With fewer than a hundred days to the presidential election, almost half the states have now altered some normal laws or regulations to make casting a ballot easier and safer in light of the coronavirus. Most of the changes so far, but not all of them, are designed to promote voting by mail — the healthiest way to exercise the franchise this year, but a practic