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The ballot measure process has been critical to the success of nonpartisan reforms across the country. However, according to new research by RepresentUs, 11 states have proposed over 60 laws to make it harder for citizens to have a direct say in the way their state’s political process works. Citizens have used ballot initiatives to approve independent redistricting commissions, primary reform, new voting methods, anti-corruption laws and more. It has been the single greatest tool to challenge t

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on The Fulcrum, and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher. ‍ In 2020, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, donated more than $400 million to state and local governments to boost election administration funding. Since then, more than a dozen states, nearly all controlled by Republicans, have passed laws banning such private contributions. The funds, which were administered by a pair of nonprofit

Over 500 citizens from around the country tuned in for Independent Voting's 20th Annual Anti-Corruption Awards, held virtually on October 25th.   Independent Voting Vice President for National Development Cathy Stewart and Independent Voting advocate Amikka Burl hosted a fast-moving and entertaining show featuring activists and actors of the burgeoning independent movement. Awards were presented honoring Farhad Mohit, Gaby Cardenas and Katherine M. Gehl, three innovators who recognize the impo

Legislatures and redistricting commissions across the United States are in the process of drawing new maps for their legislative and congressional districts, and some states have already drawn new lines to give the party in power even more of an advantage while denying voters opportunities for meaningful representation. RepresentUs and the Princeton Gerrymandering Project have collaborated on a Redistricting Report Card so voters can get up-to-date information on new maps and what impact they w

Independent voters are having a moment. The pro-voter reform movement is having a moment. And, the nonpartisan group Independent Voting is hosting a virtual event to celebrate this moment. On October 25, at 6 PM EDT, the nonpartisan group Independent Voting is hosting the 20th Annual Anti-Corruption Awards via Zoom. In the past, the event honored public and civil service leaders who challenged the political status quo in New York City. However, this year, the group is expanding the awards to a

The mood among Democrats these days seems to oscillate between panic and despair. The Biden administration, which billed itself as restoring competence and order to the political process, not only grievously botched the Afghanistan withdrawal and the removal of Haitian immigrants in Texas, but cannot even attain a semblance of order within its own party. Whether it be the filibuster, government spending, or tax policy, Democrats seem afflicted with an auto-immune disease that requires them to at

It’s January 2021, there’s a new president in D.C., a new Senate majority and a Democratic majority crowing about how voting rights is their top priority, even making the For the People Act their first bill (H.R. 1 in the House and S. 1 in the Senate). Cut to nine months later. It’s now September 2021. President Biden has spent more time focusing on an Afghanistan withdrawal than on pressuring Congress to pass voting rights legislation. The For the People Act has been passed by the House of Re

It is hard to believe that 9 months after the 2020 election, we still aren’t completely done with it. Well, we are. The election results are certified. It’s a done deal at this point.   However, there are still calls from some to continue to audit vote tallies in critical battleground states. One audit in Maricopa County, Arizona, is being decried as a sham on one side, but on the other side is being used to build a movement for more audits like it. Arizona State Senate President Karen Fann

Editor's Note: This article originally published on The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher. ‍ More than halfway into the year, and with most state legislative sessions concluded, the full scope of voting changes spurred by the 2020 election is coming into view. As of last week, 18 states have enacted 30 laws that limit voting access, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a liberal public policy institute at New York University Law School that ha

After more than a year of economic suffering that has left millions of Americans reeling from the devastating effects of unemployment, the end finally appears to be in sight. While the upward trends that we are experiencing are certainly promising, there is a misguided misconception that there are already enough quality jobs out there, and employees simply need to return to work. Despite the progress we’ve made, we certainly aren’t out of the woods yet, and it is important that lawmakers continu