It's official... independents have passed Republicans for voter registration in California.

According to Political Data Inc., No Party Preference or independent voters are now the second largest voting bloc in the Golden State.

The latest count shows that voters registered No Party Preference outnumber Republicans by about 73,000 in California. The state has about 19 million voters.

US District Court Judge Jon D. Levy threw out the Maine Republican Party's legal complaint against ranked choice voting Tuesday. It's yet another legal challenge the election reform has survived in the rocky road to the June primary elections.

Judge Levy said the Maine GOP's claim that the ranked choice voting law violated its associational rights doesn't hold water against the state's constitutional authority to sponsor and regulate elections.

Rep. Jeff Denham  (R-CA) is passionate enough about immigration reform that he is leading an effort to buck House Republican leadership to get it done. And if he does, it could open up a lane for more compromise on healthcare reform efforts.

The June Primary is fast approaching!

Candidates are preparing final outreach to voters and are working hard to finish in the top-two of their respective races to compete in the November General election.

California holds a nonpartisan top-two primary, which means that you can vote for the candidate of your choice, regardless of your party registration or lack thereof.

IVN, with the help of the Secretary of State, is providing this ballot voter guide for the top statewide races.

As a primary care doctor in Harlem, I see the impact of social conditions such as poverty, lead paint poisoning, and asthma-causing mold in public housing, as well as the emotional trauma that accompanies financial barriers such as not having the right medical coverage to gain timely and effective treatment.

As a community organizer and political independent, I see the barriers that block poor and ordinary people from full and equal participation in our democracy. These are literally matters of life and death.

By vetoing the appointment of 81-year-old Paolo Savona over the weekend, establishment Italian President Sergio Mattarella all but nullified the vote of the Italian people last March and removed the possibility, at least for now, that the Five Star movement and ultranationalist League "Lega" would form Italy's new coalition government.

It’s been a while! However, no matter how little we’ve written about independent candidates and organizations over the past month, actions continue to be taken by those who look to change the two-party system.

Election reform advocates have been scratching their heads over the failure of statewide candidates in California to tap into the rich vein of independent voters empowered by the nonpartisan top-two primary. Even the leading nonpartisan candidates on the ballot, Steve Poizner for Insurance Commissioner and Lt.

That should be the title of a recent Fast Company article entitled, "How the DNC Is Trying To Prevent A Repeat Of 2016’s Hack."

"The committee, along with organizations on both sides of the aisle, is focusing on the basics of cybersecurity as they prepare for the midterms and 2020," the article is subtitled.

Are they focusing on the basics of integrity, fairness, and neutrality in facilitating their party's nomination processes as well?

Peter Smith is an independent candidate running in Colorado State Senate District 32. He is the youngest candidate running for state office and would be the youngest member of the state legislature if elected in November.

Peter is a Millennial -- a label most candidates his age would treat as an albatross around their necks. Not Peter. He embraces the label "Millennial" as much as his "independent" political identification.

Millennials, from his perspective, are leading the independent revolution against the two-party duopoly.