LANE COUNTY, ORE. - Voters in Lane County, Oregon may not have voted to approve STAR voting in the 2018 midterm election. However, advocates are still celebrating the world's first STAR voting campaign, and the close election to implement it.

“Almost 75,000 Lane County voters chose YES to support a fundamentally new political process,” said Co-Petitioner Mark Frohnmayer.

The New Mexico Senate Race this year was by far the best chance the Libertarian Party has ever had of getting a seat in the U.S. Congress, and in the Senate no less.

In this race the nation's third largest party, still dwarfed by the two main political parties in the United States, had a perfect storm:

A highly credible candidate, with nearly universal name recognition in his state, and a record of actually winning statewide election twice– to New Mexico's governor's office– before stepping aside in accordance with the term limits in New Mexico's constitution.

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - The general election in the heavily Democratic California State Senate District 22 (Industry, West Covina) came down two Democrats Tuesday, Susan Rubio and former State Assemblymember Mike Eng. Yet it wasn't the Democratic Party's pick that ended up winning the election.

Rubio, seen as a more independent-minded Democrat, defeated Eng 52-47. Rubio had the endorsement of several current and former elected officials (at the local and state level), nonprofit organizations, public safety associations, women’s groups, and more.

Elisabeth Rosenthal accomplishes the seemingly impossible: she’s created a digestible and oftentimes heartfelt guide to the American health care system. Statistical analyses, facts, and financial data litter the book, but with Rosenthal’s ability to seamlessly weave personal accounts and her sharply written “Economic Rules of the Dysfunctional Medical Market” throughout the book, readers can feel emotionally invested in the political football that is our country’s health system.

ALBANY, N.Y. - New York Libertarian Party candidate Larry Sharpe made history on election day by garnering enough votes in the Empire State's governor race to secure ballot access for the Libertarian Party of New York for the next four years.

With a tally of 90,739 votes, Sharpe surpassed the 50,000 vote threshold in a gubernatorial election to satisfy New York's requirements for automatic ballot access for a third party.

Since 2016, energized progressives have sought to break the cycle that has seen power swing between establishment politicians in the Democratic and Republican parties for decades. After disappointing results in New Jersey and Virginia in 2017, the 2018 midterms offered another test of the progressive movement’s chief strategy for coming to power: taking over the Democratic Party. The results are a serious wake up call.

In a special episode of "In Full Color," IVN Author Wes Messamore and I discuss the history made in the 2018 midterm elections, and what it means for independent-minded voters going forward:

Washington, D.C.- You don’t often see this sort of disclaimer:

San Diego, Calif.- In the opaque world of politics, it's often times difficult to get a clear, consistent message.

In San Diego, this relatively under-the-radar election reform has fundamentally changed San Diego's political accountability, and in turn, representation.

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - Independent candidate Steve Poizner brought in the most votes of any independent in a statewide race in California history, but it may not have been enough to compete with the blue wave that swept the state Tuesday.

Poizner, running for California Insurance Commissioner -- a closely watched race by politicos not just in California, but nationwide -- is currently trailing Democrat Ricardo Lara by 1.6 points with 97% of precincts reporting.