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.

With International Women’s Day this past weekend, across the world there were displays of support for women. In Montevideo, Uruguay, the government dedicated a stamp to Luisa Cuesta, who has fought for truth and justice in the country.

"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.

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.

Putin’s dream of unifying ex-Soviet states to create a Eurasian Economic Union (Belarus and Kazakhstan have already joined) has been a primary driver for Russia’s intervention thus far.

“Changing the way we think about politics will be a long journey,” says Bruce Skarin, an independent candidate out to challenge incumbent Senator Ed Markey in November. This week, Bruce released details on the Walk for Democracy, a 1,000-mile walking tour of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

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.

On Wednesday, March 5, 2014, D.C. City Council member David Grosso introduced new legislation he calls the "Open Primary Election Amendment Act." The bill would reform current election law to allow unaffiliated voters a chance to change their party affiliation up to election day if they want to vote in partisan primaries.