Last Monday, FairVote released our 2016 general election presidential campaign tracker. This tracker, which has been regularly used this fall by National Popular Vote, looks at where major party candidates for president and vice-president have been rallying their supporters at events that are open to the public, free and intended to influence local voters.
On November 8, voters across the country will be casting their ballots not only for presidential, congressional, and gubernatorial candidates — but also for a variety of initiatives, referenda and propositions that will affect their state.
It’s not an exhaustive list, but we’ve broken down many of the major ballot measures from across the country. See if one will be on the ballot in your state below:
Alabama
"... if the other side isn't nuts then we can talk to them, and that is good news."Joe McGovern, from the documentary film "The Other Side"
We are in a civil war, although one being waged with words not weapons. This conflict has been caused by differences in political perspective that are no longer seen as something to reconcile but rather as the beliefs of an enemy. It might be called "The Uncivil War."
AMC Theaters just announced that they will open their theaters for election coverage, an innovative and great idea.
I can also appreciate their decision to designate separate screens for "Red" fans and "Blue" fans. However, that decision underlines the partisanship that is responsible for an increasingly dysfunctional democracy.
In Remembrance of a Smoker
Seven years ago you left to go who knows where. The time of diagnosis and death was so very short. Sunday would have been your birthday, cut short by the 3 packs a day you smoked for 30 years. Diagnosed with lung cancer after quitting smoking for 34 years, it still got you in the end.
I spent last Friday at the county courthouse training to be an election worker for the 2016 election.
Under most circumstances in my life, except for standing in 110+ degree heat in line at the Clark County Courthouse getting a marriage license, a trip to the courthouse usually conjures negative feelings and problems -- paying parking and traffic fines, jury duty summons, and a medical bankruptcy over a decade ago.
But this was a largely interesting, pleasurable experience -- getting to know a part of politics I'd only seen from the casting side of the ballot box.
Third party support has reached its highest levels in decades. While it remains highly unlikely for a third party candidate to win the presidential election, there are still significant possibilities that could result from this increased popularity, including a radical reshaping of the political landscape.
San Diego, CALIF.- This summer was marked by news reports of alleged police misconduct and the reaction to it, from the politically inspired Black Lives Matter.
The City of San Diego wasn't immune to police shootings and calls of police misconduct.
In the U.S., you have considerable discretion regarding what you may legally say or write about a candidate. So, you could call your behavior perfectly legal, but if you lie, distort, or mislead, most ethical systems would call your behavior immoral. Self-destructive, sociopathic, ignorant, and hateful voting is legal. Legality should not be confused with morality. No legal requirement for ethical voting exists. Perhaps there is no greater disparity than that between the minimum legal requirements and reasonable ethical expectations for voting.
Illinois US Senator Mark Kirk may be the most vulnerable Republican senator running for re-election in 2016. His contentious relationship with his party highlights the frustration many Illinoisans have over the electoral options in this race. Yet Kirk’s own words in a debate further hurt his chances and illustrated the consequence of having few voices on stage.