Author Archives
I run Political Charge to give people the knowledge and inspiration to take charge of their political activism. You can also follow me on Twitter at @dhstokyo.
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Special Elections April 2018
There are 16 special elections and 1 general election scheduled in April 2018. Click on the highlighted text next to the state name (courtesy of Ballotpedia) to get the information you need such as: a map outlining the district, why… Read More ›
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Your Quick Guide to the Different Types of Primaries
It is good to be aware of the different types of primaries that you’ll see during the 2018 midterm elections. As a voter, you should know what to expect. If you are also helping with #BlueWave election activities, especially ones… Read More ›
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Wisconsin Special Election Update
Earlier, we wrote about Republican governors not scheduling special elections for vacancies in the legislature presumably out of fear. The Democrats have been flipping a lot of seats in special elections and have been making huge gains even in the… Read More ›
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Why You Need to Pay Attention to State Elections
Most of the time the media spends on politics seems to be at the federal level. What’s happening in the White House and in Congress matters to the greatest number of people, so it’s no wonder the national media pays… Read More ›
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Who’s Afraid of Special Elections?
Who’s afraid of special elections? Republican governors, apparently. Since the 2016 presidential elections, the Democrats have flipped 22 Republican seats and elected a Democrat, while the Republicans only have 3 flips. The energy has clearly been on the Democratic side,… Read More ›
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How Many Governorships Can Democrats Pick Up?
With the Illinois primary results in, it looks like the Democrats have a legitimate shot at picking up that governorship. How many more are within our reach? Note: Currently, the Democrats only have 16 governors mansions. In the 2018 midterms,… Read More ›
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9 Reasons Why You Should Vote in the Primary
Nationwide, primaries only see an average of 20% turnout. Instead of delving into why people don’t vote in the primaries, let’s talk about why people SHOULD vote in the primaries: ○ With fewer people voting, every vote carries more weight. ○… Read More ›
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Who’s Retiring From Congress?
There are quite a number of Senators and Representatives who are either not running for re-election or running for a different position (noted with an asterisk). Here are the retiring members of Congress (in state alphabetical order) followed by how… Read More ›
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Maine’s Instant Runoff Experiment
Maine has its midterm primary election on June 12. That election will feature the nation’s first instant runoff to determine the winners for any race where the top candidate does not garner 50% or more of the votes. This is… Read More ›
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Illinois 3/20 Primaries At a Glance
Illinois has its statewide primary election on Tuesday, March 20. Here are a few facts about the state and three key races, with the names of the Democratic candidates and links to their campaign websites. The winner of the primary… Read More ›
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All Politics are Local: Montana Edition
“All politics are local.” In this day and age, with all of the communications tools we have, it is easy to forget that politics are local. In the age of Trump, every election leading up to the midterms seems like… Read More ›
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How to Get Out the Vote (GOTV)
In order to win an election, a candidate must turn out more of their voters than their opponent. That’s why Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts are so important. A successful GOTV campaign is, of course, predicated on how well… Read More ›
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15 Ways You Can Help Get More People Registered to Vote
The act of voting is a centerpiece of our American democracy. But before you can vote, you must be registered to vote. A conservative estimate from the Pew Charitable Trusts indicated that just over 1 in 5 eligible Americans are… Read More ›
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Voting Rights Trial with Kobach Gets Underway
The ACLU, representing several groups, sued Kansas charging that a law Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach had passed undermined the fundamental right to vote and that it violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The trial started March 6…. Read More ›
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Can Jungle (or Top-Two) Primaries be a Problem in 2018?
A jungle primary, otherwise known as a top-two primary, is one in which the top two vote-getters regardless of party move on to the general election. This can lead to two candidates from the same party to move forward. At… Read More ›
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Gov Walker Refuses to Call Special Elections; Gets Sued
A bedrock principle of our democracy is that we as citizens get representation in the government. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has refused to call special elections for two legislative seats that are vacant (due to those two legislators going to… Read More ›
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Early Voting in Texas Tells An Interesting Story
Today, Dallas News posted this attention-grabbing headline: Texas Democrats’ early voting totals should ‘shock every conservative to their core,’ Abbott email says We recently wrote about why Texas’ voter turnout is so low and what can be done about it…. Read More ›
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BlueWave Interview: Pat Gunn on canvassing for a special election
This week our BlueWave Interview is with Pat Gunn in Washington. Pat worked to help Manka Dhingra win a Senate seat in the Washington legislature last year, a win that flipped the control of that Senate and turned the entire… Read More ›
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Special (& Primary!) Elections in March 2018
There are 2 state primaries and 6 special elections scheduled in March 2018. For the special elections, click on the district number (courtesy of Ballotpedia) to get the information you need such as: a map outlining the district, why the… Read More ›
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Pennsylvania Replaces Gerrymandered Map
Last year, Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court ruled that the way their congressional districts were drawn in 2011 were an illegal partisan gerrymander and ordered that new maps be drawn in time for the 2018 midterm elections. After a lot of legal… Read More ›