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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Oral argument in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals was heard Tuesday morning in the case, Balsam, et al. v. Guadagno (New Jersey Secretary of State). The Independent Voter Project represented the plaintiffs in the suit, which was originally filed in the district court in Newark, New Jersey on March 5, 2014. The suit challenges the constitutionality of New Jersey’s election system, which gives political parties and their members exclusive access to an integral stage of the

On March 5, 2014, the Independent Voter Project, supported by a broad coalition of organizations from across the country, filed suit in New Jersey federal court, arguing that New Jersey’s closed primary election system is unconstitutional as it is conducted for the private benefit of two increasingly unpopular and private political parties to the complete exclusion of the 47 percent of independent and third-party voters in the state. As predicted, the state's political party machines, along wi

CALIFORNIA -- On Friday, March 6, the California Republican Party (CRP) filed a trademark infringement complaint against the Asian American Small Business PAC, claiming that it unlawfully used the Republican trademarked elephant image in a mailer supporting Michaela Hertle (a Republican) in the special election for Senate District 7. Hertle dropped out of the race weeks ago and immediately endorsed Democrat Steve Glazer. "Mr. Glazer has proven that he can work with Republicans and Democrats ali

On March 4, 2015, the General Social Study published its latest report examining the public's opinion on marijuana legalization. The study documents both the shift in popular consensus on marijuana over the past 40 years as well as the monumental growth that has occurred in the last decade. This is the first time that a comprehensive study has found over 50 percent of respondents in favor of marijuana legalization. According to the study, 52 percent of respondents favor legalizing marijuana. Th

CalNewsRoom writer John Hrabe is up to his usual yellow journalism, writing articles with little regard to facts or accuracy. Hrabe's most recent fiction is a politically-motivated attack on Assemblymember Don Wagner (R-Irvine). Wagner is a candidate for the vacant Orange County Senate seat in the 37th State Senate District. Hrabe supports his opponent, John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa), and has written a purely political article for Moorlach to use to attack Wagner. Hrabe takes Wagner to task for

NATIONAL -- There is no doubt that there are some IVN readers who support some form of proportional representation, often seen as a voting scheme that maximizes representation and makes every vote count. But the real question is, what would be the avenue to implement proportional representation nationwide? What are the roadblocks and potential legal challenges? To answer these questions, we have to examine the history of how we got to our current two-party voting system. History of Current V

In 2010, California's budget negotiations stalled for over three months past the constitutional deadline. Partisan gridlock muddied the debate over how to manage the state's $60 billion deficit and spending per student in California ranked 46th in the nation, according to the California Budget Project. At the time, 80 percent of California voters said the state was on the wrong track. Shortly thereafter, voters made a number of changes in Sacramento: Governor Jerry Brown took office in 2011; v

There is an ongoing lawsuit attempting to close Montana’s open primary system. This lawsuit is being joined by the Montana Republican Party. State Republicans support closing their primaries because they argue Democrats and other nonmembers have been influencing their elections for years. "One example given during the state GOP’s meeting to make the case for joining the lawsuit was a vote in the state House of Representatives ... in which some Republicans supported an amendment to House procedu

A Texas voter went to his local polling location to vote in the most recent primary election. As he waited in line, he had a decision to make. He knew who he wanted to support in the first stage of the voting process; he read the voter guides from various local newspapers and educated himself on the candidates. However, the biggest decision he needed to make was, what races would he have the most meaningful participation in? Texas has an open partisan primary system. Voters do not have to decla

Update: On Tuesday, March 3, 2015, the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals officially granted oral argument in the case, Balsam, et al. v. Guadagno, on Tuesday, March 17, 2015. A coalition that includes seven individual plaintiffs, the Independent Voter Project, and IndependentVoting.org filed suit in March in a federal court challenging the constitutionality of New Jersey’s closed primary system. Plaintiffs assert two main grievances under federal law: 1. New Jersey’s closed primary system