American citizens are entitled to the freedom of association: to affiliate with any group of like-minded people to promote and advocate toward a collective goal. During the 1790s, America witnessed the birth of its first political party system, comprised of the Federalist Party and the Democratic-Republican Party.

The once predominantly blue map of California is changing shades, with new registrants in California overwhelmingly deciding not to align with a political party. In fact, since the 2012 general election, 47% of new registrants are not affiliated with the Republican or Democratic Party, making nonpartisan voters the fastest growing group in California.

"In 51 out of 58 counties, the partisan groups are losing the battle," Paul Mitchell emphasized at the Voter Trends Panel discussion at the California Democratic State Convention in Los Angeles.

Military bases and Washington have been abuzz for weeks with news of the impending defense budget proposal for FY2015, but when the proposal was announced last week, it came as a slap in the face to military members and their families.

Under the proposed budget, service members would see their compensation package cut beginning in October, while leaving unpopular and unnecessary programs in place -- though there are some safeguards in place to cushion the immediate financial shock.

Edward Snowden, appearing on screen via Google Hangout, was welcomed with applause at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival (SXSW) in Austin, TX, on Monday, March 10. Snowden joined a discussion on government spying and online security which also featured Christopher Soghoian of the ACLU.

“SXSW and the tech community ... they’re the folks who can really fix things,” Snowden said when asked why he chose to speak to the tech community instead of policy groups.

With the March 18 primary approaching for the Illinois gubernatorial race, 4 Republicans are vying for the favor of voters and a large swath of undecided voters may make the difference.

Illinois is currently dealing with a downgraded credit rating and a public pensions crisis. Hovering between 8 and 9 percent, unemployment is still above the national average.

Political observers know that California has been a reliable national stronghold for the Democratic Party for over a decade. The party boasts two U.S. senators, over 70 percent of the state's congressional delegation, the governor's office, a super majority in the Assembly, and -- until recently -- the State Senate.