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San Diego, Calif.- Chad Peace is an election law attorney, national campaign strategist and representative for the Independent Voter Project. Peace joined us on "Beyond the Headlines" to discuss a number of national and regional issues, including the Ranked Choice Voting efforts in Maine, changes to the Presidential debates could be coming by lowering the percentage threshold to qualify for the stage, why did California go so deep blue?, and San Diego County passes the Full Voter Participation

Those of us who inhabit the space in American politics between the 40-yard lines have watched with dismay as the nation’s two major parties retreat to their respective ideological end zones. As election after entrenched election passes, we have to wonder about the potential for a third party that would occupy the ground near midfield that has been abandoned by Democrats and Republicans. I’m a former California Republican, now an independent. In California that means I’m NPP — registered as “no

San Diego, Calif.- In a story on The Hill, Rep. Scott Peters is considering running for San Diego mayor in 2020. In an email exchange with Peters' office last week, a spokesperson wrote to IVN San Diego re: a mayoral run, "We are not currently working on a statement nor do we have any announcements yet, but I’ll be in touch when he makes a decision." That sentiment was somewhat clarified on Tuesday as MaryAnne Pintar, Peter’s chief of staff, said the four-term Democratic Congressman is looking

The 2018 midterms ended up being the biggest year in political and election reform in half a century, yet these efforts to unrig the elections and political process got mostly overlooked by traditional and mainstream media outlets. New voting methods were put to use and approved for the first time in US history, gerrymandering reform passed in a handful of states, anti-corruption measures were adopted throughout the country, and the momentum for this movement reached new heights. Though 2019 i

San Diego, Calif.- The City of San Diego is cashing in with its first year of taxing and collecting fees for cannabis. Businesses are taxed at a rate of 5 percent of monthly gross receipts, which will increase to 8 percent on July 1, 2019. The rate is not to exceed 15 percent of gross receipts. According to a city spokesman, tax receipts for the 2018 calendar year total $4,745,332.81.  The spokesman noted, "The tax revenue goes directly into the General fund to be used for Mayoral and City Cou

It can be argued that Michael Zucchet, a former councilman, current Port commissioner and leader of the city’s Municipal Employees Association, is one of the most powerful voices in San Diego. In 2009 Zucchet began leading the San Diego Municipal Employees Association and last year was appointed to serve as a Port Commissioner. There were a number of issues Zucchet and I discussed on IVN San Diego's latest edition of Beyond The Headlines. Including the local labor scene and the job Keith Maddo

Ohio Gov. John Kasich is leaning strongly toward running for president in 2020 as a third-party candidate -- the wisest course for him. But if he does, he should make systemic political reform part of his agenda. That’s because, out of sight of most of the media, there’s a growing movement around the country actively working to “unrig” a system that now works for the Republican and Democratic Parties, their donors and affiliated special interests, rather than the American people. The movement

San Diego, Calif.- As we wait for the final ballot count to determine the 77th Assembly district race, there are still about 20,000 votes remaining, Republican incumbent Brian Maienschein, who leads Democrat candidate Sunday Gover by 757 votes, was the recipient of some rare kudos from a Democrat. California Secretary of State Website Gonzalez Goes To Bat For Maienschein Even though California Democrats enjoy a supermajority in the state, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez spoke highly of Maiensc

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - Questions are being asked about the term "ballot harvesting" and its impacts on the California election. Ballot harvesting was used for the first time in November, and has clearly been advantageous to Democrats. This week, a seventh GOP-held congressional seat flipped to the Democrats, leaving Republicans controlling just seven of California’s 53 House districts. The "minor" change was implemented when Gov. Jerry Brown signed the changes in AB1921 into law two years ago. H

Contrary to Florida’s infamous reputation for election snafus, the voters in the Sunshine State have in many ways led the nation on issues of electoral reform. Floridians have voted many times to improve the rules, level the playing field, and remove barriers to participation. In the 1900s, voters approved ballot measures to enact term limits and remove burdensome petitioning requirements for independent and third-party candidates. More recently, they approved gerrymandering reform. On Tuesday,