On October 4, the California Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform, also known and ReformCA, filed papers to place their initiative, the legalization of recreational marijuana, on the November 2016 ballot.

The House Freedom Caucus ensured that Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) would have the support to secure the position of Speaker of the House next week following a vote on Wednesday night.

However, while Ryan did receive two-thirds of the vote, he did not receive the 80 percent required for an endorsement, and the group stated that it would not accept all of his terms for Speaker.

After the meeting, Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) said, “We are not meeting all his demands, but if he wants to be speaker, he has the votes as of tonight.”

The Supreme Court’s June 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision held that the fundamental right to marry extends to same-sex couples, a small minority of Americans. Among other things, the right to same-sex marriage includes constitutionally guaranteed rights of inheritance and legal parental status for children.

Republicans and Democrats in the Wisconsin legislature are snarling about 3 bills that propose the dissolution of the state's Government Accountability Board (GAB). The board currently oversees the state's election and campaign finance laws.

On October 20, shortly after the Democratic presidential debate, former U.S. Senator Jim Webb (D-Va.) decided to withdraw from the 2016 Democratic primary. If your first thought is bewilderment over who Jim Webb is, it only highlights how the media has overlooked this presidential candidate.

Instead, Joe said no.

There is no doubt that citizens in the U.S. are disillusioned and increasingly disengaged with a Congress that does not accurately represent the nation’s demographics. That story isn’t new.

However, what is new is the amount of success grassroots efforts are seeing in their pursuit of more representative election systems, like ranked choice voting and nonpartisan election reform.

On Thursday, the League of Women Voters of San Diego will host a panel discussion on the influence of money in politics.

The program is appropriately titled, Is it One Person, One Vote or One Dollar, One Vote? and features panelists David Loy, Legal Director at the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties, John Lawrence of the San Diego Free Press, and Michael Aguirre, former San Diego city attorney.

Former U.S. senator from Virginia, Jim Webb, announced today at the National Press Club in Washington that he has withdrawn from the Democratic primary for president of the United States. However, he says that he is considering launching an independent bid for the presidency in 2016 instead.