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https://soundcloud.com/independent-voter-podcast/calmatters-dan-walters-talks-november-election San Diego, CALIF.- California Democrats had supermajorities in 2014 and 2016, only to lose them the next year. Now, with Gavin Newsom in line to take Jerry Brown's seat, and record setting campaign contributions, there is a very real possibility Democrats will once again have all the power in California. Considering how deep blue California has gone, concerns are surfacing about appropriate checks

Questions abound as the 2018 midterms draw closer.Will the much-discussed “blue wave” give Democrats a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives? Or perhaps a pink wave that will boost the historic underrepresentation of women.Will excitement surrounding close contests translate strong turnout? Will misguided attacks on voting rights prevail?Much will remain undecided until after the polls close on November 6. What we can say with certainty now is that outcomes will continue the success stor

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - The most contentious fight over a ballot proposition can often times be over the language of the proposition itself. Supporters and opponents won't be completely satisfied, and it can lead to the spread of misinformation and confusion among voters. Take the gas tax repeal in California -- Proposition 6. The AP reported over the weekend that LA county residents received automated phone calls suggesting that there were errors in the proposal's language. This promoted local ele

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - It is nearly impossible for a candidate to run, and win, as an independent in most states. Without a party infrastructure, candidates have little to no support structure, including party member communications, party campaign finance advantages, and perhaps most importantly, the benefit of an almost universally accepted axiom: only a Republican or a Democrat can actually win. As a result, independent and third-party candidates are most-often marginalized as “spoilers,” “quixo

Mail bombs spark national partisan-driven blame game; Tulsi Gabbard considers a 2020 presidential run; Republicans support a far-left Senate candidate over Dianne Feinstein; and history is being made under nonpartisan election reform. Check out an independent perspective on the mail bomb story here. IVN Editor Shawn Griffiths and IVN Author Wes Messamore break down the week in news from an independent perspective. They point out the hypocrisy on all sides, and go beyond the partisan headlines

San Diego, CALIF.- Politics sometimes makes strange bedfellows. Such is the case in San Diego where Republican mayor Kevin Faulconer, is now arguably closer to the Democrats on a proposed city run energy program, than the business community that got him elected. Faulconer announced on twitter that he will champion a new CCA program for San Diego, a program that would likely be implemented when he is out of office. https://twitter.com/kevin_faulconer/status/1055456786868711424?s=12 Faulconer

With less than two weeks to go before election day, the Public Policy Institute of California is out with a new poll. This follows a similar survey they conducted just last month. New results show public opinion holding steady or coming in pretty much where you would expect—with a few surprises. 1. The governor’s race: Newsom still up, but many still undecided * Expected: Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is maintaining his lead over Republican businessman John Cox. This time the gap is 11 pe

(IVN) A bomb scare rocked the nation Wednesday, as several Democratic Party leaders and CNN received packages containing explosive devices, including the Obamas and the Clintons. Here on IVN I've been following the escalation of partisan political violence on both sides as the midterm election this year draws near. I reported on the menacing activity, death threats, doxxings, and the mailing of what appeared to be ricin powder to President Trump, the Secretary of Defense, and a campaign office

LANSING, MICH. - The Voters Not Politicians campaign sent out a press release Wednesday confirming that 19 radio stations in Michigan have pulled ads against its anti-gerrymandering amendment that the organization calls "misleading." "The radio spot, funded by the Michigan Freedom Fund, falsely claimed that Proposal 2 'writes a blank check' to members of the independent citizens redistricting commission created under the proposal, and that 'they can spend whatever they want' In fact, under the

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Foundation for Independent Voter Education and the Chamberlain Project Foundation won first place in the political category at the 2018 American Civic Collaboration Awards for providing news and information to Maine voters about its landmark ranked choice voting election reform. Put simply, the education campaigns helped cover Maine’s second-largest referendum vote by the people in state history – the 2016 initiative to institute ranked choice voting. Nearly a year after