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Cross-Party Voting Almost Nonexistent in Hyper-Partisan Congress

Amid the shutdown-inspired talk of polarization and dysfunction in Congress, it is encouraging to see examples of real bipartisan cooperation.

How Does Approval Voting Work?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db6Syys2fmE&feature=youtu.be

Oregon Proposal Advocates Nonpartisan Primary System, With a Twist

The American electoral system is highly dysfunctional. One of its most basic problems is that districts and states often have lopsided partisan preferences, meaning that general elections between the nominees of the two major parties are overwhelmingly formalities. Consequently, representatives may be effectively chosen in low-turnout partisan primaries that are paid for by all taxpayers, but are often limited to only a portion of the electorate.

Congress and the Feds Can Learn a Lot from California's Debt Management

Sacramento News & Review, October 17 – A growing body of 21st-century philsophical thought recognizes that the 98 episodes of Gilligan’s Island ask and answer all the Big Questions.

So, amid this recent flurry of mouth-frothing and hand-wringing over debt, it should be no surprise The Skipper and Mary Ann slice straight to the bottom line.

Revolutionary Nonpartisan Primary Elections Proposed in Oregon

Jeff Mapes of OregonLive.com covered the story of Mark Frohnmayer -- son of David Frohnmayer, an established member of Oregon politics, law, and academia -- pushing for a version of the nonpartisan top-two primary system. It is identical to California and Washington systems, but with a twist; approval voting.

Paul Ryan: We Must Act Now to Boost Economy

Whenever there is a deadline in Congress, short-term considerations generally gain more importance than long term goals. Politicians have a tendency to focus on fixing whatever is broken through a piecemeal and temporary approach rather than taking a look at how the quick fixes will affect generations to come.

10 Congressional Seats in Jeopardy after Government Shutdown

If the media coverage of shutdown politics is to be believed, House Republicans' fear of 'getting primaried' by a more conservative opponent was a major impediment to moderate GOP-ers reaching a bargain with Democrats on healthcare and federal spending.

Who Profits from Facebook's New Privacy Settings for Teens?

Facebook announced Wednesday that it will yet again be updating its privacy settings, opening up the option to post publicly to teenagers aged 13-17:

The Roots of the Government Shutdown

In general, Stratfor deals with U.S. domestic politics only to the extent that it affects international affairs. Certainly, this topic has been argued and analyzed extensively.

California's Path to a Top-Two Nonpartisan Primary

California is a unique place. Just ask anyone who's ever lived there.

So naturally the state boasts a unique system for nominating its elected officials as well and the road to the system that's currently in place in California was a bumpy one. But, as with many things, whether or not the change produces the desired result remains to be seen.