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North Carolina voters not affiliated with the Republican or Democratic Parties cannot serve on the state's Board of Elections. That's right, state law says only registered Republicans and Democrats can. This means tough luck for independents or third party voters. Well, one N.C. attorney hopes to change this. Michael Crowell, a reportedly well-known election law attorney in North Carolina, recently filed a lawsuit against the state and its Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement. Crowell's c

And it ain’t the cows. Enter Kris Kobach, the Republican Secretary of State known by election reformers for his unabashed attempt to re-instate straight ticket voting and forcing a Democrat to be listed on the ballot when a Republican is faced with a credible independent challenger. Keep in mind, he pursued these partisan protection schemes last election in his capacity as the umpire for fair elections in Kansas, otherwise known as the Secretary of State. Yet, there is no doubt Kobach was tryi

Millions of New Jersey voters were faced with a difficult decision Tuesday: Join a party or don't vote at all. That’s because the first stage of New Jersey’s taxpayer-funded and publicly-administered elections are open to Republicans and Democrats only. So, for a plurality of New Jersey voters who choose not to join either party -- too bad. New Jersey held its 2017 primary election on Tuesday, June 6.  Lt. Governor and Secretary of State Kim Guadagno easily won the Republican nomination for go

With two Democratic state representatives leaving their party last week, neither Democrats nor Republicans have an outright majority in the Maine State House –– making it the first legislature in the country where political independents control the balance of power. The chamber is now comprised of 75 Democrats, 71 Republicans, and 5 independents. Two independents, Reps. Owen Casas and Kent Ackley, were elected last November. Republican State Representative Kevin Battle joined them in January,

The legal battle against the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) entered a new chapter this week. Plaintiffs in Level the Playing Field, et. al. v. FEC recently filed a second complaint, arguing that the FEC continues to ignore a "mountain of evidence" against the debate commission, and is acting "arbitrarily and capriciously and contrary to law." “The FEC has tried to address our arguments through cherry-picking, manipulation, and inaccuracies,” said Peter Ackerman, chairman of Level the

Do you feel disheartened by the current political environment? Does the hyper-partisan, two-sided narrative feel overwhelming? Do you want to get involved in a political cause important to you but you don't know how? Well, you are not alone. That was the latest theme for the League of Women Voters of San Diego's (LWVSD) Sips and Civility. The League hosted the event Tuesday night at the Central Library in downtown San Diego, with special guest Joe McGovern, an independent documentary filmmaker

In June, a group of Bernie Sanders supporters filed a class action lawsuit against the DNC and former DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. In short, the plaintiffs argue that they donated to and got involved with the Democratic Party based on its rules of fairness and impartiality. Interestingly, the DNC actually admits that they treated Sanders unfairly. They even admit that they ignored their own rules. Their legal defense? The Democratic and Republican parties are private organizations and t

The Centrist Project today announced an endorsement of Maine independent gubernatorial candidate Terry Hayes, a new partnership with Maine Independents to recruit down ballot candidates, and the launch of a new grassroots chapter in Portland. ALSO READ: Independent Candidate Terry Hayes Vies for Vulnerable Governor’s Seat in Maine Maine is one of a few target states where the Centrist Project will dedicate its resources in the 2018 election cycle, with the aim of electing a coalition of indepe

The Maine Supreme Court released its advisory opinion on the constitutionality of ranked choice voting Tuesday. On the question of whether or not the alternative voting method violates the plurality clause in the Maine Constitution, the justices ruled in the affirmative. Further, the justices ruled that since ranked choice voting was adopted through statute, rather than a constitutional amendment, the conflict between the statute and the language of the constitution presents a solemn occasion t

A bill that better aligns San Diego County elections with local, state, and federal elections passed the California State Assembly Monday. Assembly Bill 901, authored by Assemblymembers Shirley Weber (D-San Diego) and Todd Gloria (D-San Diego), and supported by the Independent Voter Project, was approved on the floor, 51-24. AB 901 would allow San Diego County, through proposition by county supervisors or a petition of 10% of the electorate, to move to a primary system in which the voters are g