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MAINE - The race for Maine's 2nd Congressional District will be the first in the nation to be decided by ranked choice voting. Republican US Rep. Bruce Poliquin has a slight lead over Democrat Jared Golden, but was not able to secure majority support in the first round of voting, meaning the election will come down to the second or third choices of voters who cast a ballot for one or both independent candidates in the race. Maine was the first state in the nation to use ranked choice voting fo

Attorney General Jeff Sessions' resignation from his post this week at the behest of the president was a cherry on top of another string of wins for the marijuana legalization movement in America. Although he was not asked to resign because of his overtly hostile position toward the marijuana legalization movement in the United States and the consumption of the plant itself (as a U.S. Senator he once said, "Good people don't smoke marijuana.")–– His removal from office does pave the way for a

The New Mexico Senate Race this year was by far the best chance the Libertarian Party has ever had of getting a seat in the U.S. Congress, and in the Senate no less. In this race the nation's third largest party, still dwarfed by the two main political parties in the United States, had a perfect storm: A highly credible candidate, with nearly universal name recognition in his state, and a record of actually winning statewide election twice– to New Mexico's governor's office– before stepping as

Washington, D.C. - The Republicans have held on to the Senate by grabbing some center-left leaning districts, while Democrats scooped up the 218 they needed to topple GOP control of the House of Representatives. Those numbers weren't necessarily surprising for many Americans. But the details surrounding this election are fascinating. Candidates broke barriers across gender (more than 100 women were elected), race, religion and sexual identity. And inside those states and districts, unique situa

Fiercely partisan voters on both sides of the aisle agree on one thing: If you vote for a third party or independent candidate instead of one with an "(R)" or "(D)" printed next to their name in the newspapers, you are basically just "throwing away" your vote. In their political calculus, a principled vote is a wasted vote unless it's for a candidate that's polling as one of the top two in an election, and for them it's better to cast a damage control vote for the least bad option that has a ch

AUGUSTA, MAINE - Tens of thousands of voters have already voted in the Maine elections, and state officials expect higher-than-normal turnout for the 2018 midterms Tuesday. The midterm surge comes during the historic use of ranked choice voting for US House and Senate races. Maine has for years set itself apart from the rest of the nation for high turnout. Nearly 73% of eligible voters participated in the 2016 presidential election. Not very many states can boast such high numbers. Interesting,

San Diego, Calif.- Ohio Gov. John Kasich might be changing his tune when it comes to running for president as a third-party candidate. Last March in Los Angeles at the "New Way California" event, I asked Kasich if he would consider a third-party run for president, he denied having interest. Then this week on ABC's "The View," Kasich noted, “I think, for the first time, there is a legitimate chance for a third-party candidate." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6KyDlPgfZw Gov. John Kasich Cons

San Diego, Calif.- According to a recent NPR poll, nearly 80 percent of voters are concerned that the negative tone and lack of civility in Washington will lead to violence or acts of terror. That toxic tone has become commonplace in contentious races for many years. But there are representatives, and candidates, who have stuck to a more civil approach to politics. Videos for two candidates in California's 77th Assembly district in San Diego demonstrate the two different approaches. Assemblym

Many political commentators today are perplexed by what seems to be the increasing polarization of the two party system in America, and the rising tensions that have accompanied a rhetorical arms race of inflammatory cross fire. It is my contention that the Republican and Democratic Parties are not in fact drifting further apart than ever before, but over recent decades have actually become more and more like each other, and that today they are nearly indistinguishable from each other in terms

San Diego, Calif.- Oprah Winfrey is a registered independent, wait... what? The cultural icon said she has "earned the right to think for myself and to vote for myself." At a rally in Marietta, Georgia for gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, Oprah emphasized the importance of getting out to vote over any partisan or policy message. Independents across the country let out a collective, hell yes! Oprah The Independent Winfrey announced why she is not beholden to the two-party dysfunction