Ray LaRaja and Brian Scaffner, political science professors at the University of Massachusetts, here argue that strong political parties reduce polarization. They also conclude that federal campaign finance laws, especially the McCain-Feingold law which still hobbles political parties, are partly … Continue reading
Curtis Gans, an expert on the statistics of voter turnout, says in this article that 2014 seems likely to have the lowest primary voter turnout for any midterm year in U.S. history. Thanks to Thomas Jones for the link. … Continue reading
Ed Rabel, a prominent journalist for several decades, has been certified for a place on the November 2014 West Virginia ballot. He is running for U.S. House in an open seat. See this story. … Continue reading
On July 21, attorneys for the New Mexico Secretary of State filed this 15-page brief in Parker v Duran, 1:14cv-617. This is the federal lawsuit over the state’s 3% petition requirement for independent candidates. The plaintiff, an incumbent member of … Continue reading
On July 21, President Obama endorsed statehood for the District of Columbia. See this story. Thanks to PoliticalWire for the link. … Continue reading
