The Oregon secretary of state has verified the initial sponsorship signatures for a proposed ballot measure that would guarantee all voters and candidates have the right to participate in the state’s publicly-funded primary elections.
In the past, primary reform in Oregon has hit multiple roadblocks – particularly pushback from the two major parties. However, Oregon Open Primaries has introduced a unique initiative that would force the state to adopt a more equitable primary process.
It doesn’t seem like there is much these days that can unite Republicans and Democrats. However, one thing both parties have consistently agreed on is that nothing should threaten their grip on power.
The current electoral process is designed to serve the interests of the dominant two parties and their members. If there is a reform that threatens to upset the apple cart, it will encounter resistance from those who have the most to lose from a fairer, more equitable process.
This will include leaders and members in both parties.
Ilya Somin, Professor of Law at George Mason University, and the author of Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom, joins h
For a long time, pollsters, political pundits, candidates, and the media have ignored the rise of independent voters. They have called independents “closet partisans” or “leaners,” and they justify this by how the media twists the narrative.
Gallup has consistently found that around 4-in-10 Americans self-identify as independent. However, instead of asking why these voters choose not to identify with a political party, pollsters then ask, “Well, which of the two major parties do you lean more toward?”
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on The Fulcrum and has been republished in its entirety on IVN with permission from the publisher.
President Biden gave Ukraine top billing and said fighting inflation is the “top priority” during his State of the Union address Tuesday. But he also spoke at length about building a unity agenda and — very briefly — called for passage of election reform legislation.
Andy Moore, Executive Director of the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers (NANR), joins host T. J.
In an email sent to supporters, former President Donald Trump issued a statement in support of proposed legislation in Wyoming, SF0097, which would shut voters not affiliated with the two major parties out of taxpayer-funded primary elections. It’s a position that runs in stark contrast to the populist approach he ran on in 2016 and 2020.
Anyone who has followed the pro-voter, pro-democracy reform space for even a small period of time knows America’s political processes are flawed. It may not even come as a surprise to find out that the US is not even considered close to being the world’s role model in democracy.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher.
Alternative voting systems have been making inroads across the country in recent years but suffered a setback Monday when the Tennessee General Assembly passed a ban on ranked-choice voting.