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“Off-year” elections, like those in 2013, tend not to get a lot of attention, especially from voters. There are not a lot of big races around the country, and turnout is usually far lower than in presidential election years. This year’s low-turnout election shows why certain lawmakers’ recent push to make voting harder is badly misplaced. Strict photo identification requirements, an antiquated registration system, and felony disenfranchisement laws keep Americans from participating by complicati

You don’t need to be a highly-paid, highly-respected political analyst like Michael Barone or James Carville to understand basic truths about a particular election. In fact, it might actually be better if you’re not part of the political class. Then you pretty much can’t help, but see the forest, as opposed to the individual trees on which most political types focus. So, it was just after Democrat Terry McAuliffe was declared victor over Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the Virginia governor’s rac

There is one group in Washington that believes it is in the best position to bridge the partisan divide hampering many of the decisions in Congress. No Labels is composed of lawmakers and policy leaders of both major political parties. “A majority of Americans are so upset with all the gridlock that has stopped every sort of action that moves the country forward,” said Nancy Jacobson, a co-founder of No Labels. The organization was created after the Affordable Care Act passed without any Repub

By 1875, Reconstruction was coming to a halt and the Democrats were beginning to take power in Texas. The much hated measures of radical Republicans resonated in the minds of many Texans and prompted the drafting of the Texas Constitution of 1876. The document rolled back many of the big government policies supported by the Republican Party, resulting in a decrease in the power, salaries, and terms of most government officials. However, one overlooked implication of this was an article that cal

Reports of National Security Agency surveillance capabilities and oversight continue to surpass previous assumptions. Dragnet data collection lie at the center of legal and privacy concerns. This week, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisconsin) introduced the USA Freedom Act. According to the bill, the act's stated purpose is, To reform the authorities of the Federal Government to require the production of certain business records, conduct electronic

The recent government shutdown and struggle over raising the debt ceiling were the result of many factors. Big money in politics, congressional dysfunction, and geographical self-sorting by like-minded voters all played a role. So did redistricting. For those unfamiliar with redistricting, below are some common questions and answers. Also see our Citizen's Guide to Redistricting. What is redistricting? Members of Congress, state legislators, and many county and municipal offices are elected by

There is a lot of money in politics, from local, to state, to federal elections. But some groups give a lot more to candidates and committees than others. Data was collected from the Center for Responsive Politics on OpenSecrets.org. There is a wealth -- pun intended -- of information in several categories to parse, including donations by Industry, Lobbying, PACs, Organizations, and 527s. 25. American Crystal Sugar American Crystal Sugar has donated $727,750 in the 2013-2014 election cycle, b

A critical decision in the ongoing legal battle on abortion was handed down Monday. The ruling found that provisions in a law passed by the Texas Legislature, House Bill 2, were unconstitutional due to conflicts with a doctor's right to treat their patients as per his/her medical expertise and that it unreasonably restricted one's access to an abortion. The judgement was given Monday by U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel: "Today there is no issue that divides the people of this country more than a

"Power corrupts, and the prospect of losing power corrupts absolutely." - John P. Roche Next November, Americans will elect representatives to the 114th Congress. As of October 20, the current Congress has an average 9.2 percent approval rating and 84.2 percent disapproval rating. Before the Congress-led shutdown, 2014 election projections showed that of the 435 seats up for election, only 35 seats will have a competitive election. On average, there is one House member for every 700,000 citize

The history of voting rights in the U.S. has been a long battle of disharmony and disenfranchisement since the country’s formation and although freedom and voting are frequently associated with one another in our current culture, restrictions to true freedom in this regard still remain unsettled, contentious, and often unperceived. While democracy was forming in the colonies, the Old World ideology that it was nothing short of mob rule was held strongly by many prominent colonists, thereby limi