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In 2017, a groundbreaking Harvard Business School analysis of the U.S. political system exposed the lie that we live in a “two-party system.” Written by business leader Katherine Gehl and the “father of modern business strategy” Michael Porter, the report found that we live under a two-party “duopoly” that rigs the game to protect its own power. “The political system is a private industry that sets its own rules.” Furthermore, Gehl and Porter outline that: “Around the two major parties, the D

Let’s just call everything outside major urban centers, the rural vote. Betrayed by politicians of every political party, left out of every agriculture-related policy decision in every government agency, on the short end of every economic development strategy at all levels of government, the rural vote is changing. Still broken and outraged, a newly energized coalition now demands integrity in elections and true representation for the people of rural and small town economies. You want that vote

By all accounts New Mexico would seem to be a strong candidate for reform of their primary elections. At least that’s what we thought when we started working with local activists to build support there three years ago. One of only nine states with completely closed primaries, New Mexico has seen rapid growth in the number of registered independent voters. In 2000, 15% of voters were not registered with either major party. Today, that number is 25% or approximately 300,000 people. In a small po

There are hundreds, literally hundreds of organizations and individual campaigns working right now to fix the myriad of problems that face our political and electoral processes -- from the local to the national levels. The organizations tackle voter rights, primary election reform, ballot access, gerrymandering reform, campaign finance reform, alternative voting methods, electing candidates outside the two major parties, and more. The following are 10 of the biggest organizations working to ref

San Diego, Calif.- Independent Voter Network has learned Senator Ben Hueso will not be bringing  SB-615 to the floor in Sacramento for consideration. SB-615 was crafted by San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott. It's a proposal that critics say, makes it much harder to sue agencies that fail to comply with the Public Records Act. Elliott's office released the following statement: "I believe our elected leaders have an obligation to tackle tough issues and advance thoughtful solutions to the ser

Since the New Year, I have been reading a steady diet of memoirs. The genre has captivated me since working with my 93-year-old father to finish his memoir, Hilltop Echoes, about growing up on a farm in rural Massachusetts. His book explores family secrets, the joys of a secret trout fishing spot, the loss of his beloved father, moving off the farm and entering the Marines... all told against the backdrop of the New England countryside. ‍ On the memoir road these last two months, I have met Ta

To say that Donald Trump has been an unorthodox president would be the understatement of the century. The seemingly endless scandals that engulf the real estate magnate turned public servant show no signs of letting up either. Take for example, Mr. Trump’s relationship with the LGBTQ community. In many ways, the Trump administration has turned back the clock on policies that were key to LGBTQ equality, especially with its stance on transgender people. Yet, the president also seems to be more p

Last week, I joined a conference call with a dozen independent voter activists from around the country – all cabinet members of the “Eyes on 2020” campaign sponsored by Independent Voting, who are making a simple demand: Independents want full access to every stage of the 2020 presidential election process in every state. A recap of activities over the last several weeks was varied and impressive, touching on the many different ways independents are working on what is a civil rights campaign fo

San Diego, Calif- By a vote of 8-1 Monday, the San Diego City Council removed developer parking requirements for new condominium and apartment complexes in neighborhoods near mass transit. The "near" mass transit requirement is defined as neighborhoods located within half a mile of a trolley line, a bus rapid transit station or two high-frequency bus routes. And, the transit must be operating or scheduled to begin operating within five years. The city report points to San Francisco as a model

If all sides are declaring victory in the California Supreme Court’s pension ruling on Monday, it’s because the decision had a little something for all the combatants in the state’s pension wars. In a much-anticipated decision, the high court upheld a major rollback initiated during Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration—a reform that rescinded a long tradition that had allowed public employees to collect bigger pensions by inflating their years of service. Brown put an end to that tradition—known i