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It happened last month. I officially changed my voter registration from Democrat to Independent. When I was younger, I identified as a conservative Republican. Over the course of a few years, my views changed and I felt more inclined to the Democratic Party. Now, as I sit and watch the bitter anger sans solutions on the left, and gut wrenching gloating by those on the right, I can’t help but think, “What has happened to my country? Can we really call ourselves a democracy?” We live in a bipolar

Closed party primaries have shifted political power from mainstream Americans to the lunatic fringes of both major political parties. Each party has a large, though not necessarily majority, percentage of activists that demand extreme responses to public policy issues. When closed primaries are held, even relatively small groups have dramatically enhanced influence over the outcomes. This is true even when gerrymandering is not an issue. For example, when the electorate is evenly divided betwe

How important is grassroots organizing in politics? New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley argues that a decision to prioritize TV ads over grassroots outreach cost the Clinton campaign last year’s presidential election. With this in mind, former Bernie Sanders campaign organizers have launched an effort called Knock Every Door, with an eye on attracting Trump swing voters and building a grassroots base for the next election cycle. As this illustrates, grassroots organizing can pla

France’s presidential race is heating up -- and independent Emmanuel Macron has surprised many with his performance in two polls out this week. Former economy minister Emmanuel Macron announced his bid for the presidency in November of last year, and was initially largely discounted as a long shot. Macron is known by the French as the ex-investment banker who introduced labor reforms to President Hollande. Macron created his own political party, En Marche! (“On the Move!”), and is running as an

Third parties had their best showing in nearly two decades last November, but they still face major ballot access hurdles in future state elections across the country. Tennessee is a prime example. Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson ran as the Libertarian Party’s candidate for president and drew over 70,000 votes in the state which, theoretically, would give his party recognized status in the state. But Tre Hargett, the Tennessee secretary of state, has yet to provide clarity on the issue

There is a new movement underway in New Jersey to elect independent-minded candidates to the state legislature that will support election reform to end partisan corruption in public elections. "The electoral process is very corrupt," said Dana Wefer, a life-long Democrat running for New Jersey governor as a Republican. Wefer is also the founder of New Jersey Awakens, which has proposed 5 reforms to break the parties' control over elections: * Initiative and Referendum: "New Jersey is one of t

Americans rely on the Internet now more than ever for news, information, and discussions about politics. According to Pew, nearly half of U.S adults between the ages of 18-49 rely primarily on the Internet and social media for their news, and 62 percent of all adults use a social network like Facebook or Reddit to get their news. Yet, as voters rely more heavily on the cloud for trustworthy information, few remain cognizant of how susceptible they really are to carefully crafted misinformation

Democracies are not the normal order of human civilizations. Throughout history, and even today, people are far more likely to live under monarchies, dictatorships, and authoritarian regimes than they are to be self-governed. Our democracy was inspired by an era of enlightenment that recognized the importance of individual freedom and human dignity. Maintaining it requires vigilance and direct participation when things have gone awry. Things have gone awry. The Republican Party, the strongest p

The 2016 election cycle was an exceptionally rough one for voters and candidates alike. The divisive rhetoric and lack of support for the major-party candidates revealed a failure in our system to engage all voters and demographics alike. Last year, around 28 million independent voters registered nationwide to participate in the electoral process, becoming the fastest growing voting demographic in the United States. Yet, many states such as Massachusetts and New Jersey disenfranchised independ

The Arizona State Legislature passed HB 2302 by a vote of 34-24 in February. The bill adds two statutes to the Arizona constitution making it illegal for presidential electors to vote against their party’s candidate. An elector would be automatically ineligible to serve should they choose to put conscience above party loyalty. Once the elector's intentions are revealed, the state party chair would appoint a person to replace him or her, who would then cast the electoral vote. For those followi