Every primary election cycle, Americans are inundated with political ads from Republicans and Democrats, and media coverage that focuses solely on "Team Red" and "Team Blue." It's no surprise that voters think they only have two choices in elections.

In a state like Kansas, independent voters and candidates are ignored in the primaries. This is because the state uses a closed primary system. Voters and candidates can only participate if they are registered members of the Republican and Democratic Parties, even though taxpayers foot the bill for these elections.

UPDATE: The court refused to issue a permanent injunction, meaning defendants can appeal the ruling to an appeals court. Stay tuned for more on this story.

AUBURN, Maine - The Kennebec County Superior Court ruled in favor of Clean Elections candidates Thursday, ordering the state to pay out to candidates who already qualified for these public funds.

San Diego, CA. - Visiting Father Joe Carroll at his East Village home, it doesn't take one long to recognize the pivotal role he played in elevating the issue of homelessness.

For 37 years, Father Joe walked the streets of downtown San Diego where he fed, housed, and provided lifesaving services for our community's homeless population.

Every day 3,000 men, women and children were cared for by St. Vincent de Paul and now Father Joe's Villages.

San Diego, CA. - Former San Diego City Councilman Carl Demaio knows what's at stake.

Repealing the Gas Tax in California with the Yes on Prop. 6 is his number one goal, but it's the second, unintended piece of Prop. 6, that will garner national headlines.

To have their voices heard and enact change, citizens are urged to use their vote. But how can America's population be truly represented when, in some states, it is nearly impossible for independent or minor party candidates to even appear on voters' ballots? What good is a "fair" vote when viable candidates are undermined by strict ballot access laws that favor the two major parties?

In the face of mounting criticism from the notorious libertarian billionaire industrialists, Charles and David Koch, Donald Trump flamed the Koch Brothers on Twitter Tuesday, tweeting:

The Michigan Supreme Court in a 4-3 ruling Tuesday rejected a constitutional challenge brought by a GOP-backed group and the state attorney general to remove an initiative from the November ballot that would institute an independent redistricting commission to redraw state electoral districts.

ROCKVILLE, Md. - Independent US Senate candidate Neal Simon released his first TV ad Tuesday, calling on voters to challenge the hyper-partisan political status quo "Together."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxk4W3axUAs&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SFm-w9-Ky0

Voters Not Politicians recently launched a new ad for their proposed ballot measure (Proposition 2) to institute a nonpartisan redistricting commission in Michigan. The measure is currently before the state Supreme Court where mostly Republican-backed groups and the state's attorney general are trying to remove it from the ballot.

San Diego, CA. - As is customary, the San Diego City Council ok'd initiatives and ballot language that will appear on the November ballot.

The ballot question language is considered an important piece as voters, who may not be aware of what a particular initiative proposes to do, rely on the language to help guide their vote.

Two initiatives which have been the subject of a lot of attention, SDSU West and SoccerCity, received a good amount of time from the City Council, City Attorney and City Clerk.