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As of May 23rd 2012, Los Angeles became the largest city in the United States to put a ban on plastic grocery bags. Over the next 16 months the city will be phasing out single-use bags in favor of reusable ones. Los Angeles joins the ranks of forty-seven other California cities that have also endorsed the ban. Environmentalists and plastic bag ban advocates are hopeful that this will prompt other large cities to quickly follow suit. So how many plastic bags do we actually use? A common estimat

When one urges support for third party or Independent candidates for elected office, the response from partisans of the Republican and Democratic parties is fairly predictable. Perhaps their most common retort is that if you cast your ballot for any third party or Independent candidate, you are “wasting your vote” and “throwing it away.” But isn't the situation today the exact opposite? In other words, the only wasted vote is a vote for a Democrat or a Republican. You could vote for the reprod

Texans head to the polls today for semi-open primary elections. Politico highlights intriguing races, given redistricting and an expanded Congressional delegation. Make sure also to check out a recent Independent Voter Network article on the details of electoral process in the Lone Star State.

Every ten years, district lines are redrawn following an updated US Census report. Whether at the state or federal level, partisan legislators have always redrawn the lines based on the reports. Out of concern for their own incumbency and out of a desire to reduce competition (and thereby lower the cost to run elections), the Democrats and Republicans “trade seats” by creating highly Democratic and highly Republican districts. This pushes electoral competition to the primary, where voter turnout

One of the most enduring myths in US politics is the assertion that there are no alternatives to the candidates of the Democratic and Republican parties. Many would-be voters who are fed up with the forced choice between Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dumber are undoubtedly more likely not to vote than head to the polls and cast their ballot for a third party or Independent alternative. Given the lack of media coverage devoted to third party and Independent candidates, a large portion of the electorate

The most talked about race in the 2012 Texas primary elections is the race for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by retiring Kay Bailey Hutchison. The biggest contenders for the seat are Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and former state Solicitor General Ted Cruz, pitting a well connected, wealthy “establishment” candidate against a Tea Party favorite. Statewide elections in Texas usually don’t get so much national attention because everyone knows how it is going to turn out. Texas is a

Frank Atwood is a Libertarian activist based out of Denver, CO. Atwood has been involved in causes on many levels; such as the repealing Littleton Grocery Tax and fighting against Wal-Mart. One of the causes that is passionate for Atwood is Approval Voting.The following is my interview with Frank Atwood.AJ: Please provide your political and activism background, for the readers.

Frank: First, thanks AJ for this interview opportunity. My political orientation is socially tolerant and fiscally res

After scoring two victories in yesterday's primaries, winning the majority of votes in both Kentucky and Arkansas, it looks as though former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will secure the Republican nomination with a likely victory in Texas. And while it took a while for the GOP to warm up to him, there are indications of growing momentum for the Romney campaign, solidified by his lead in recent polls. In Florida, for instance, Romney holds a 6 points advantage to President Obama in a Quinn

By its very definition, Texas has an open primary, but because voters are still restricted to some degree on who they can vote for it is more commonly labeled semi-open. Some independent voters still feel disenfranchised by the election process. Voters in the state of Texas do not have to publicly identify themselves as a member of a political party when they register to vote. When they go to the polls they can freely choose either the Republican ticket or the Democratic ticket. However, voter

Richard Mack the former sheriff of Arizona's Graham County is running for Congress in the Texas 21st Congressional District. He is running against longtime Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) in the primary. Mack is one of two candidates running against Congressman Smith in the Texas Primary. Before serving as a sheriff in Arizona Mack was a police officer for over twelve years in Utah. He previously ran for US Senate representing Arizona as a Libertarian candidate in 2006. The former sheriff was th