Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law Thursday that requires election administrators to mail ballots to all registered voters across the state. The bill ensures all voters have the option to vote by mail amidst ongoing health concerns related to COVID-19, though some races may take weeks to be officially resolved as ballots can now be received up to 17 days after Election Day.

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That voter suppression is antithetical to democracy seems axiomatic, particularly if democracy is defined as rule by the majority. It is also, however, perhaps the most effective means for a minority to attain and perpetuate control of an elected government. Since it will not do to admit to cheating one’s way to power, voter suppression is generally couched in such euphemisms as “preventing voter fraud,” or “ensuring that only those able to understand for whom they are voting get to cast a ballot.”

First, on behalf of the NANR Board, I want to thank our members for making NANR's first Spotlight program on June 8 a big success, highlighting the important work our members are doing to ensure safe and secure elections in times of crises.

Most Americans believe the US is headed in the wrong direction, trust in the federal government is at dismal levels, and people are consumed by frustration, grief, and/or rage in uncertain and tumultuous times.

In the latest episode of "Unrig It," the official podcast of the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers (NANR), Independent Voter News editor Shawn Griffiths talks with Honorary NANR Co-Chair Katherine Gehl. Gehl is a pre-eminent leader in the national reform space and is co-author of the new book, The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy.

Editor's Note: This article originally published in The Fulcrum and has been republished with permission from the publisher.

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A long, and long-shot, quest to get more candidates onto the presidential debate stage has run aground in a federal appeals court.

Current events have turned everyone's attention to the nation’s criminal justice system. Most Americans agree that the system is broken. Yet, in a new Unbreaking America film, RepresentUs points out that the criminal justice system remains broken because the broken US political system keeps it that way.

“Even though crime rates across the US are going down, America locks up seven times more people now than we did in 1970,” says actor and RepresentUs Cultural Council member Omar Epps.

Editor's Note: This article originally published on The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher.

Compromise legislation that would make it easier to vote absentee in North Carolina this fall, and safer to vote in person, has been cleared with bipartisan support in the General Assembly.

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"Most Americans believe our political system is a public institution that follows a set of detailed, impartial principles, structures and practices derived from the Constitution… It isn’t.” - Katherine Gehl and Michael Porter

Imagine an industry where consumer trust has dropped to marginal levels, but nothing in that industry changed. It’s hard to do, right? Even now in the midst of a pandemic and social turmoil we see businesses commit to doing better to adapt to consumer demands. 

The Georgia elections Tuesday were characterized as “catastrophe.” A new $104 million voting system broke down, many voters couldn’t vote as a result of a ballot shortage, and those who could ended up waiting hours in line to exercise their right to vote.