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Party leaders, politicians, and media pundits and talking heads would have US voters believe that the American public has never been more divided. This narrative is especially prominent in presidential election years. 

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The last couple of years have seen an increase in states looking to change their primary election laws. In some cases, party leaders are trying to increase their power over electoral outcomes, while nonpartisan reformers attempt to offer other states better elections.

Eight years ago, there was a competition still in play between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton when the California primary rolled around. But, even though the Democratic Party allowed independent votes to be counted toward the selection of convention delegates, then Secretary of State Alex Padilla refused to eliminate the arcane and undemocratic barriers to voting left over from partisan primary rules more than half a century old.

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The Kansas House approved a bill Thursday that aims to make it substantially harder for independent candidates to qualify for the statewide ballot. Not only does the bill more than quadruple the current signature requirement, but it eliminates the ability to pay a filing fee in lieu of signature gathering.

Here is what readers need to know.