26.3 million independent voters, including almost half of all millennial voters, were barred from voting in presidential primaries in 2016. Millions more registered Democrats and Republicans were prevented from voting for the candidate of their choice. The result? Recent polling shows 70% of all Americans now support open primaries.

Why?

Progressive politicians and pundits are collectively celebrating the Supreme Court's ruling that North Carolina illegally used racial gerrymandering to draw its congressional districts. But even author and journalist Greg Palast says those celebrating need to pump the brakes a little.

He first prefaced his statement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC3zqk3f46w

Ballot Access News reported Wednesday that the Oregon State House passed a bill that would add Oregon to the National Popular Vote Compact (NPVC). The plan is simple: Each state that joins the NPVC commits to giving all of their Electoral College votes to the winner of the national popular vote.

Do you feel disheartened by the current political environment? Does the hyper-partisan, two-sided narrative feel overwhelming? Do you want to get involved in a political cause important to you but you don't know how?

Well, you are not alone.

In June, a group of Bernie Sanders supporters filed a class action lawsuit against the DNC and former DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. In short, the plaintiffs argue that they donated to and got involved with the Democratic Party based on its rules of fairness and impartiality.

Interestingly, the DNC actually admits that they treated Sanders unfairly. They even admit that they ignored their own rules.

Mass voter confusion. Voter purges. Registration problems. These were all major problems associated with the 2016 New York presidential primary. State lawmakers have an opportunity to fix these issues, but are they? Are they listening to voters' complaints?

It doesn't look like it.

The Centrist Project today announced an endorsement of Maine independent gubernatorial candidate Terry Hayes, a new partnership with Maine Independents to recruit down ballot candidates, and the launch of a new grassroots chapter in Portland.

https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/867078297057984512

In what many are hailing as a positive step toward helping American families balance their responsibilities of work and family, President Trump is proposing six weeks of paid time off to both mothers and fathers at the time of birth (or adoption) of a child.

“For the first time ever, by any administration of any party, we are proposing a nationwide paid parental leave program,” budget director Mick Mulvaney told reporters this week.

IVN's A Civil Assessment host T.J. O’Hara interviews David Garrow on his new book, Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama, released this month.

David discusses Obama before his political career took off, and the choices he made that led to the ex-president we see today. Regarding the book, host T.J. O'Hara says, “It was almost like you couldn’t recognize the early Barack Obama when you compared and contrasted him to the presidential Barack Obama.”