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In August, just one month after the Democratic National Convention, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders announced the launch of Our Revolution, a non-profit organization dedicated to keeping his progressive movement alive and strong. Among its stated goals are “supporting a new generation of progressive leaders" and "empowering millions to fight for progressive change." To these ends, Our Revolution backed more than 100 candidates from the school board level to the U.S. Senate between August and Ele

Measure 5 puts ranked choice voting (RCV) on the ballot to be used statewide. RCV is worthwhile to support because it’s better than Maine’s current plurality voting system. But if you dress up RCV and say it can do things that it can’t, then you’ll set yourself up for disappointment. And that false praise may very well set up Maine to add itself to the list of places that have repealed RCV. We’d rather not see that downslide, so this article is to prepare you. Believe it or not, this is a pro R

Gerrymandering is nearly as old as America itself, named after James Madison’s vice president and governor of Massachusetts, Elbridge Gerry. The advantageous practice of drawing legislative districts along partisan lines may seem unfair, but thanks to the support from the two major parties it has remained part of the status quo for over 200 years. That has diminished the number of competitive races and creates more partisan legislatures, both on a state and national level. Like with any governm

Why stick with third party and independent candidates in November, if Clinton and Trump have a combined 80% of the electorate in all major polls? In an election season that is anything but usual, one trend is holding up: outside campaigns are losing support in the last months of the race. The campaigns of Libertarian candidate Gov. Gary Johnson, Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein, independent candidate Dr. Lynn S. Kahn, and Veterans Party candidate Chris Keniston responded to a short question

A U.S. Supreme Court decision last week will keep an independent candidate in Illinois off the November ballot. The high court denied independent David Gill's request to vacate an order by a lower appeals court to leave him off the ballot in Illinois' 13th congressional district. The ruling effectively ends Gill's campaign. The only two names that will appear on the November 8 ballot are Democrat Mark Wicklund and incumbent Republican Rodney Davis. Gill previously filed a lawsuit to appear on

With back to school season in full swing, and an impending presidential election, the nation’s eyes are turning once more toward our young people — specifically, our college students. It’s no secret that young people and millennials (there’s that uncharitable catch-all again) played a significant role in the election of Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. Talking heads, pundits, and formal studies have all referred to the student vote in those elections as “decisive.” So where do we go from here? W

It goes without saying that the Republican Party’s nomination of Donald Trump, a high-profile businessman with no experience holding elected office, for the presidency has been the most discussed development in American politics this year. News coverage of Mr. Trump’s primary victory eclipsed even that of the first major-party presidential nomination of a woman, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. However, even as ocean waves can sometimes be accompanied by dangerous rip currents, the en

Before a crowd in his home start of Vermont and speaking to supporters attending more than 2,600 watch parties across the country, Senator Bernie Sanders announced on August 24 the launch of "Our Revolution." The newly created organization seeks to institutionalize the former presidential candidate's progressive movement and develop a grassroots network whose three stated goals are "supporting a new generation of progressive leaders, empowering millions to fight for progressive change and elevat

While it is debatable whether Americans largely approve of joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) – the massive free trade agreement comprising 11 other countries -- it is undeniable that the presidential candidates are responding to Americans' concerns about economic insecurity in staking out their positions on the deal. In June 2015, Congress granted the president "fast track" authority, which allows the president to negotiate the agreement with other countries and put it before Congress

In Illinois' 13th district, one candidate is suing over the constitutionality of the onerous signature requirements for independent candidates. Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, first elected in 2012, currently represents the 13th district. Shortly after submitting his petition signatures, both Republicans and Democrats filed objections against independent David Gill. Gill ran unsuccessfully for elected office four previous times as a Democrat. This year, however, he is running as an independe