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Detroit, MI – Increasing uproar over the Democratic Party’s arbitrary debate exclusions reveals questions about the party’s democratic values. Out of 25 major candidates vying to be the Democratic nominee for president, only 20 will be provided an unparalleled platform to reach potential voters. The party’s exclusion of five notable candidates from the second round of debates on July 30 and 31 — former U.S. Senator Mike Gravel; Miramar, FL Mayor Wayne Messam; U.S. Congressman and Marine veteran

"I want to be an active mayor that focuses on solving real problems. That would be a marked change from recent years." ~ Assemblyman Todd Gloria, 2020 Mayoral Candidate San Diego, Calif.- Assemblyman Todd Gloria has a plan. A plan to get the city moving again. A champion for housing solutions, Gloria is ready to curb the crisis. He has a plan for homelessness, the convention center expansion, and ending the much publicized feud between the fire and lifeguard departments. In a revealing inter

Independent and third party candidates more often than conventional candidates clearly identify America’s core challenges, pains and crises. They sometimes present well-considered solutions, though they may not know enough about the legislative and executive branches of government to implement those solutions. Still, here are seven reasons why independent presidential debates and forums will save America in 2020. 1. Integrity Whether driven by public service or personal ego, every single Demo

There is no right more deeply embedded into our country’s identity than the right to vote. It is so valued by US citizens that 91% say the right to vote is essential to their own sense of personal freedom. This country was founded on the notion that we should always have a government by the people and for the people. And, as our nation has evolved, so has our conception of the right to vote and to whom this right is extended. So what does the right to vote mean for the 26 million Americans who

Update: Despite passing with strong majorities in both chambers of the legislature, it has come to my attention that the ranked choice voting bill in Maine did not make its way to the governor's desk. Due to an 11th hour procedural movement, the bill was sent back to the Senate. According to the Committee for Ranked Choice Voting, the bill is not dead. There is still an opportunity to pass it when the legislature meets later this summer to address the governor's vetoes and bond packages.  Thank

Update: Despite passing with strong majorities in both chambers of the legislature, it has come to my attention that the ranked choice voting bill in Maine did not make its way to the governor’s desk. Due to an 11th hour procedural movement, the bill was sent back to the Senate. According to the Committee for Ranked Choice Voting, the bill is not dead. There is still an opportunity to pass it when the legislature meets later this summer to address the governor’s vetoes and bond packages.  Thank

Many people who favorably view Donald Trump and politicians like him, talk up his “authenticity” or his “telling it as it is”. Even many of those who profoundly dislike his politics, his manner, or both, grudgingly admit to the appeal of his “what you see is what you get” quality. Yet and at the same time, many of his supporters – and almost all of their opponents – simultaneously recognize the blatant falsity of many of his statements. On the surface, there is a paradox. How can so many peopl

Lulu Friesdat is an Emmy award-winning journalist and filmmaker whose election security investigations have received over 4 million views on Now This and been featured on Politico, MSN.com, the Young Turks, The Hollywood Reporter, The Christian Science Monitor, Salon, Truthout, AlterNet and many other media outlets. She joins T.J. O’Hara to discuss SMART Elections, a new, non-partisan election integrity watch guard organization. There are currently four main sectors in the election reform movem

On Monday, the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers (NANR) announced that it would match all contributions that reformers across the country make to support initiatives in Maine to expand the state’s landmark ranked choice voting law and to open the state’s primary elections to all voters. The online match to “Double the impact. Double the wins!” benefits the Committee for Ranked Choice Voting and Open Primaries Maine. In an email to reformers across the country, interim NANR Executiv

The biggest story happening right now nationwide that is not getting any attention from the mainstream media are the campaigns, ballot proposals, signature drives, and legislative efforts going on RIGHT NOW to give voters an election system that protects their right to a meaningful and equal vote in the taxpayer-funded election process -- from the primary to the general election. I’ve covered 10 of the biggest reform organizations to watch in 2020, whose mission it is to give voters a better el