Windham, New Hampshire, a town with 14,000 residents, found itself in the public eye after the 2020 election. Eight candidates ran for four open seats in the state legislature, and Republicans swept them. Kristi St. Laurent, a Democrat, requested a hand recount. The recount revealed that she had lost by even more votes than initially […]
Senate congressionally directed spending...
Overall, 64 senators made 8,055 requests totaling $26.8 billion. Far fewer Republicans participated than Democrats. Only 16 GOP senators submitted requests, including a few senior members like Appropriations Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-AL), Budget Ranking Member Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD). Only two Democrats, Jon Tester (D-MT) and Margaret Hassan (D-NH) […]
Election Q&A: Katherine Gehl explains fi
Katherine Gehl is a former corporate CEO, founder of the Institute for Political Innovation, and the co-author, with Harvard Business School professor Michael E. Porter, of “The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy” (2020). Gehl argues that if Americans want results, innovation, and accountability from our elected officials, […]
House earmarks requests: Why, what, and ...
This year, after a 10-year moratorium, the majority leadership in the House of Representatives reinstituted the ability of members to submit federal funding requests for projects in their districts. More commonly known as “earmarks,” requests for local, regional, or state funding have existed since the first Congress. They have returned, along with some major modifications […]
Why the Electoral Count Act needs reform...
The Electoral Count Act (ECA) burst into the news late last year. Some Republicans claimed this 1887 statute empowered Congress to reject states’ electoral vote slates, which could prevent a presidential candidate from reaching the 270 votes needed to be officially deemed the winner. Under this scenario, the House of Representatives — not voters via […]
How Utah balances ballot access and elec...
By all accounts, Utah ran its 2020 elections very well, avoiding the political acrimony and lawsuits that have occurred in Arizona and some other states. Utah’s election policies enable ease of access to ballot while maintaining high security. How did Utah strike this balance? To answer this question, I spoke with Amelia Powers Gardner….(Read more)