Increasing polarization is raising concerns over the integrity of elections. Voters find themselves election after election faced with the question: Should elected officials loyal to their party call the balls and strikes for their own team in elections?

Washington independent secretary of state candidate Julie Anderson believes that election administration should be nonpartisan, both in nature and name.

The ballot measure process has been critical to the success of nonpartisan reforms across the country. However, according to new research by RepresentUs, 11 states have proposed over 60 laws to make it harder for citizens to have a direct say in the way their state’s political process works.

Scott Greytak, Director of Advocacy for Transparency International U.S., joins host T.J. O’Hara on Deconstructed to talk about that organization’s war on corruption. Transparency International U.S. (“TI U.S.”)is part of the world’s oldest and largest coalition against corruption with national chapters in more than 100 countries. Its purpose is to “give voices to victims and witnesses of corruption, and work with governments, businesses, and citizens to stop the abuse of entrusted power.” 

Ranked choice voting (RCV) is on a roll. Advocates have added win after win at the ballot box across the US. When the voting method is put to a vote, citizens tend to overwhelmingly show support for its use.

RCV allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. The method of RCV broadly used in the US is called instant runoff voting, which uses an automatic runoff system based off voters' preferences if no candidate gets over 50% of first choice selections without the added expense of a separate runoff election.

Editor's Note: The pieces below feature two sides to the debate on term limits from John Aldrich, Spencer Reynolds, and Laura Del Savio. These perspectives originally published on Divided We Fall and have been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher.

Will a Multi-Party System Save American Democracy? Very Unlikely. But Can a Centrist Party?

By John Aldrich – Pfizer-Pratt University Professor of Political Science, Duke University

California voters have a chance to make history this year by electing independent leaders to the state’s top executive offices for the first time in modern history. Among these independent candidates is an openly gay, pro-choice, tough on crime, Republican-turned-independent running for attorney general.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on The Fulcrum, and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher.

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In 2020, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, donated more than $400 million to state and local governments to boost election administration funding. Since then, more than a dozen states, nearly all controlled by Republicans, have passed laws banning such private contributions.

Brian Mistrot, Founder and President of One Nation Movement, joins host T.J. O’Hara on Deconstructed to talk about his new political organization.  Mr.

Just when you thought Donald Trump and Nancy Pelosi were on different sides of the aisle, current California Assembly member and congressional candidate Adam Gray is getting attacked by one side of the aisle for being a Trump supporter — and by the other side for being a Pelosi supporter.

There are few people that help steer the course of history. Dr. Peter Ackerman was one of them. 

Peter, who has been the driving force behind some of the most powerful efforts to unrig the two-party “duopoly,” passed away peacefully in his home on April 26, 2022.