The Alabama legislature will consider a bill that would change the state's primary election process to a nonpartisan, top-two open primary similar to the systems in California and Washington state.

This week on A Civil Assessment we welcome back both the award-winning election journalist and election fraud expert Lulu Friesdat and Florida Congressional candidate Tim Canova.

These two discuss election fraud in state and local elections, and their experiences in Florida and Alabama.

In an order issued on Monday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the district lines “clearly, plainly and palpably” violate the state Constitution and gave the Republican legislature until February 9 to draw new ones.

Happy Monday fellow independent voters! Hope you had a great weekend and are anticipating a good, worthwhile, productive, and imminently enjoyable next week of your life, and if you're not, that you're dead set on making it even just slightly more that way to whatever degree it's in your power to do so.

Nobody wants to be mean to a Muppet.

Congress has been systematically spending the United States government into oblivion since 2001.

Vermont is the first state to legalize adults’ possession and limited cultivation of marijuana legislatively

Marijuana will be legal in nine states and the nation’s capital when Vermont law takes effect

To focus the combined strengths, skills, and experience of some of the nation’s leading election reform organizations toward increasing voter participation and electoral competition, a prominent group of nonpartisan political reform leaders have formed the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers.

The Senate voted Monday to re-open the federal government after two days of a government shutdown. The deal reached between Senate Republicans and Senate Democrats extends government funding to February 8 while lawmakers further debate DACA and immigration reform.

IVN San Diego has learned from well placed sources that newly elected County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar took a call from House Speaker Paul Ryan, and is being urged to run for the seat vacated by Congressman Darrell Issa.

Gaspar, who is a Republican, was elected to the County Board of Supervisors last November.

She was previously the Mayor of Encinitas from 2014-2016.

In San Diego County, District 3 is included in the 49th Congressional District, so many of the same voters who put Gaspar in office, would be asked to elect her for the Congressional seat.

Update: The Senate voted Monday to reopen the government, and extend funding until February 8, setting up yet another potential shutdown fight.

The recent government shutdown is only the latest manifestation of the partisan logjam gripping America, and sure not to be the last. All the political rhetoric over the past few years — ever since the rise of the Tea Party and the subsequent focus on emotions over results — has been driving us to this point, and it was obvious.

Sadly, it may have also been unavoidable.