Harry Reid announced Friday that he will not seek re-election in 2016, leaving a gap in the Democratic leadership and an open seat in a battleground state. In a farewell video, Reid said the eye injury he sustained in January gave him pause to think about his life and his career, and this time of reflection had a major impact on his decision.

After the Reconstruction period ended following the Civil War, southern states (the old Confederacy) began enacting Jim Crow laws. These laws mandated that all public facilities be segregated. They were also used in an attempt to keep African-Americans from voting and even to keep interracial marriage illegal.

legalize medical marijuana under federal law.

Needless to say, the major utility companies are not happy.

Alex Street, an assistant professor of political science at Carroll College, published an article in The Washington Post's column, Monkey Cage, on Thursday, in which he says millions of voters are prevented from voting in general elections even when they want to. According to Street, part of the problem is early voter registration requirements in many states.

South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard signed a bill dramatically changing the laws governing ballot access for Independent candidates just months after an Independent took 17% of the vote in a statewide election.

The bill, Senate Bill 69, an act to revise certain provisions regarding elections and election petitions, specifically addresses how many signatures an Independent candidate must collect to get on the ballot, and who is allowed to sign the candidate's petition.

new rules to rein in unaffordable payday loans and regulate the $50 billion industry. This is the first time federal regulators have targeted short-term lenders in an effort to protect low-income borrowers from getting pulled into debt they cannot get out of.

Change the Rule aims to add an alternative route for minor parties and independents to participate in the CPD-sponsored debates, while Open Debates wants to create an entirely new debate process.

originated in Germany during World War I to save electricity, and the UK quickly followed their lead.

Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision in the consolidated cases of Alabama Legislative Black Caucus v. Alabama and Alabama Democratic Conference v.