Update 9/17/18:  State Senator Rob Schaaf (R-St. Joseph), former State Senator Jim Lembke (R-Lemay) and former State Senator Bob Johnson (R-Lee's Summit) joined Common Cause in filing an amicus brief Saturday, calling on the courts to let the voters decide on the initiative:

A central element of this remarkable year in election reform has been the pivot of the anti-gerrymandering fight from the courts to the ballot boxes. As has been widely reported, five states vote this year on state constitutional amendments to block partisan gerrymandering and fundamentally change how redistricting is done, far more than in any other year.

In the latest Gallup poll taken from August 1-12, 2018, independents outnumbered members of either major party by at least 15 percentage points, but politicians continue to tailor their messages for the most extreme wings of a polarized two-party system.

San Diego, CA.- IVN San Diego has obtained a letter dated September 26, 2016, from the CA Attorney General's office to John Ainsworth, the then acting Executive Director of the California Coastal Commission, discussing the legal representation the Attorney General's office provided for 5 coastal commissioners accused of violating open-government laws.

Buried in the everyday actions of an active political campaign, I didn’t realize I was part of a trend until I looked again at Alexa Mikalowski’s article. She described women’s groups and their influential websites that ignore independent and third-party female candidates.

On Wednesday, just two months ahead of the midterm elections, President Donald Trump signed an executive order authorizing sanctions against foreigners who meddle in U.S. elections. It addresses not only interference with campaign and election infrastructure but also propaganda efforts.

SANTA FE, N.M. - The New Mexico Supreme Court has rejected Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver's attempt to implement straight-ticket (aka straight-party or one-party) voting for the November election. In a unanimous decision Wednesday, the court ruled that Toulouse Oliver did not have the authority under state law to take such action.

Running a campaign outside the two-party apparatus is not easy. I have reported on the many barriers in place that are hostile to independent and third party candidates even launching a campaign.

However, even when these candidates do make it on the ballot and present a viable challenge to the political status quo, they still face a media and campaign environment that marginalizes their candidacy at every level.

"In the next month we will make the announcement of a new naming rights partner." ~ Ernie Hahn, General Manager Valley View Casino Center

San Diego, CA.- In an exclusive interview on IVN Beyond The Headlines, Valley View Casino Center General Manager Ernie Hahn announced that come October, the arena will have a new name.

Malpractice lawsuits happen every day, and most people don't think twice about them until they're the subject of one. In most cases, these lawsuits only affect the individuals involved, but in rare cases, a lawsuit comes around that could change the shape of the health care industry as a whole. Let's take a closer look at five lawsuits that could do just that.