Unaffiliated voters and candidates alike have historically been overlooked by Illinois' election code. But this year, elections in Illinois may get a makeover. Legislators have introduced several bills in January, all aimed at reforming the Prairie State’s exclusionary elections.

As the new year gets underway, state legislatures around the country are convening to tackle the issues of the day. In at least nine states, electoral reform is on the agenda. Building on the momentum of historic wins for ranked choice voting in Maine and Benton County, Oregon, lawmakers from Massachusetts to Hawaii have introduced bills that would expand its use in their states.

The United States has been Israel’s primary benefactor since the early Cold War days, so President Donald Trump’s support of Israel is certainly reinforced by an abundance of precedent. However, his one-sided policy proposals undermine attempts to create an environment conducive to peace-building, which would disrupt Israel’s fraught relationship with Palestine and threaten to damage the peace process.

While everyone was busy discussing the TPP and NAFTA renegotiation during the presidential election, very few noticed that another trade agreement, possibly the biggest and with a stronger potential impact to the economy, was being negotiated behind the scenes.

South Dakota lawmakers have taken the first steps to overturn a voter-approved initiative called the South Dakota Government Accountability and Anti-Corruption Act (Measure 22, IM-22). Legislators plan to use a tactic that would allow them to overturn the measure immediately, and deny voters any additional say.

Here is a brief overview of what IM-22 does:

San Diego, CALIF.- A stunning new poll is out on the “sanctuary cities” debate, and it shows a huge divide between what the people of California want from their lawmakers, and what state lawmakers are actually doing in Sacramento.

Attendance at the numerous Women’s Marches across the globe shattered expectations this past Saturday. The centralized message released by the Women’s March on Washington was somewhat vague, but each and every person in attendance had their own reason for marching.

The following women and men attended marches around the country (though most were located in California) and shared their accounts with us regarding their inspiration, experiences, and hopes:

Sacramento, Calif. — By a vote of 26 to 9, the legislature in Sacramento on Monday confirmed Democrat Xavier Becerra for attorney general. Becerra has vowed to defend the state's liberal policies against the Trump administration and the Republican Congress.

He will replace former California Attorney General Kamala Harris, a Democrat who was elected to the U.S. Senate in November.

Becerra says he will fight any federal law he believes infringes on the rights of Californians.

In 2016, the people of Maine voted for a historic election reform measure at the state level: ranked choice voting. RCV, also known as instant runoff voting, allows voters to rank candidates by preference instead of choosing only one. To explain how votes are tabulated and how the system works, watch this video:

President Donald Trump is signing executive orders left and right. Reuters reported that his advisers vetted more than 200 orders, and Fox News judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano also said Trump will sign as many as 200 orders Monday.