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Hey there. Here’s my latest offering and take on a number of items related to nonpartisan issues and voter reform efforts from around the nation. From the Supreme Court ruling on redistricting commissions to the Independent Voter Project petitioning the same Supreme Court -- and everything in between -- it has been a busy couple of weeks. Thanks for reading. Jeff Why Labor’s Dem-on-Dem Attacks Are Foolhardy Source: CalBuzz With so much of the national media attention focused on the GOP and

This week, the Supreme Court rejected a challenge by the Arizona legislature, which was seeking to invalidate an Independent Redistricting Commission established by Arizonans through the initiative and referendum process. The Arizona Legislature asserted that they, not a voter created independent commission, had the right to draw congressional district lines. They based their arguments on a literal reading of the constitution. But in a 5-4 decision written by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the S

Introduction to the Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the Supreme Court ISSUE: Whether a New Jersey statute mandating that otherwise qualified voters join one of two particular political parties as a condition of voting at an integral stage of the State’s election process violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. Filed: July 7, 2015 The fundamental right to vote is a nonpartisan right. Under its current law, however, the State of New Jersey requires that

A coalition led by the Independent Voter Project (IVP) filed a petition for Writ of Certiorari with the Supreme Court of the United States on Tuesday in a case challenging the constitutionality of New Jersey’s closed primary system. The coalition, which includes IndependentVoting.org and 7 individual plaintiffs, argues that the current election process in New Jersey gives political parties and their members a decided advantage in the election process at the expense of individual voters, includ

On June 26, I attended an event in Cambridge, Massachusetts called the City Dance Party. Every year thousands of people flock to this event from all over the Greater Boston Area. The streets ringing City Hall are closed down, and for a few hours the square in front of City Hall is turned into an enormous dance party. At night, the front of City Hall is lit up with swirling lights while colored spotlights pan over the jubilant crowd. As the event neared its end, the energy of the crowd was surgi

There's a Fourth of July celebration that hasn't happened during my lifetime. In fact, it was 55 years ago the last time it was celebrated -- the addition of the 49th and 50th stars to the American flag. By law, the new flag is designed by executive order, and then first hoisted on the July 4 immediately following the date of statehood. Puerto Rico statehood has long been a topic of contention. With the new debt crisis they are facing, it's time to accept a reality: statehood or total independ

On Monday, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the constitutionality of independent redistricting commissions to redraw electoral districts. The ruling was a major victory for voters, because it also validated the citizen initiative process and the voter's right to decide how they are governed. But the legal battle over redistricting is far from over. Politico reported Tuesday that major litigation remains in key battleground states ahead of the 2016 elections. Continued redistrictin

After a week of significant wins at the Supreme Court, President Obama's approval rating edged above the 50 percent mark for the first time in two years, according to a new CNN/ORC report. This news has analysts buzzing with interpretations and projections for 2016.Political analysts are about as accurate as fortune tellers at a carnival, gazing into a crystal ball to tell the future. The tools of the trade are a bit different -- polling, historical data, and trends -- but at the end of the day

Level the Playing Field, a group pushing to open up the presidential debates to an independent candidate, filed an historic lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court. The lead plaintiffs were joined by the Green Party of the United States and the Libertarian National Committee in asking the Court to compel the Federal Election Commission to act on a complaint they have flat-out ignored for nine months. The case concerns violations of federal law by two institutions the Democratic and Republican par

By way of introduction, I’m Jeff Marston, co-chair of the Independent Voter Project. Starting today and every couple of weeks I’m going to be sending out these short updates with nonpartisan issues that I feel are important for us politicos to start thinking and talking about. I’m a lifelong Republican, always will be. I was even elected to California’s legislature as one. But I do nonpartisan communications now with a company that includes independents and Democrats. All my life, I’ve enjoye