Voting
Bernie Sanders Is Right: We Should Let the Boston Marathon Bomber Vote
Incarcerated people are already paying their debt to society. What good does it do the rest of the population to take away their right to have a say?
Reforming Democracy
A new symposium outlines several ideas for improving our democratic system. All are worth considering. But none are likely to be as good as expanding opportunities for people to "vote with their feet."
Politicians in Oregon and California Want To Give 16- and 17-Year-Olds the Right To Vote
We trust young people to make a lot of weighty decisions. Voting should be one of them.
Democracy in Decline?
If its recent record is any indication, Winston Churchill might have been wrong about democracy.
Don't Fear Independents Like Howard Schultz! Politics Should Be More Like a Starbucks Menu
There are more forms of hepatitis than there are major parties in America.
Should Longtime Expats Have the Right to Vote in Elections?
A Canadian Supreme Court decision striking down a law denying the right to vote to expats who have resided abroad for over five years raises broader questions about democratic theory.
Introduction to my book "Democracy and Political Ignorance: Why Smaller Government is Smarter" Now Available on SSRN
The Introduction to the revised second edition summarizes the rest of the book, and is available for free.
Federal Judge Upholds Maine's Ranked-Choice Voting
A Republican representative lost his seat in the new instant runoff system, so he sued.
California's Top-Two Voting System Keeps Leaving Voters Without Options
Given only two candidates from the same party, millions just don't choose at all.
Should We Let Children Vote? The Troubling Implications of Standard Reasons for Rejecting a Flawed Idea
Few will agree with Cambridge political scientist David Runciman's proposal to lower the voting age to 6. But standard reasons for rejecting the idea raise serious questions about many adult voters, too.
Political Ignorance and George H.W. Bush's Defeat in the 1992 Election
Bush lost because voters punished him for the recession of the early 1990s - an event he did not cause. This is just one example of a broader phenomenon of voters rewarding and punishing politicians for things they do not control.
8 Years in Prison for Voting Illegally Is Way Too Much
But not according Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Ranked-Choice Voting Flips House Seat in Maine
GOP Rep. Bruce Poliquin fails to get a majority vote. Jared Golden joins the House's new Democratic majority.
Does Trump Really Think You Need ID to Buy a Box of Breakfast Cereal?
Also, are people putting on disguises so they can vote more than once?
Maine's GOP Congressman Sues to Stop Ranked-Choice Voting
Bruce Poliquin is currently ahead. But a new requirement that he get a majority vote could unseat him.
Democrats Did Better Than Early Election Results Revealed: Reason Roundup
Plus: The FDA will ban flavored e-cigarette sales at most places, and Chris Christie is being floated as Jeff Sessions' replacement.
Ranked-Choice Voting in Maine May Affect House Race Results
Meanwhile, Fargo citizens adopt a different way to choose winners of citywide races.
Forget the Polls. Listen to the Gamblers.
When it comes to predicting the outcome of an election, bettors are better.
Why Voting Based on Values Can't Overcome the Problem of Political Ignorance
Values are important. But so is factual knowledge about public policy. In some ways, the significance of values actually makes the problem of voter ignorance more pressing, not less so.
Political Ignorance and the Midterm Elections
It is not yet clear who will win. But widespread political ignorance already ensures many of us will be losers.
Is Your Ballot Selfie Legal?
Banning ballot selfies to stop voter fraud is like "burning down the house to roast the pig" said the First Circuit Court of Appeals. But many states still do it.
Same D.C. City Council Members Who Want to Lower the Voting Age to 16 Also Voted to Raise City's Smoking Age to 21
We'll trust teenagers with decisions about how to run the country, but not how to run their own lives.
It's OK Not to Vote
Instead, you can do something that will actually make the world a better place. Which is basically anything else.
Fargo Considers Whether to Turn Local Elections into a Voting System of Likes (and Dislikes)
Measure 1 would introduce "approval voting" to the city, meaning voters wouldn't have to abandon independent and third-party choices.
Maine Voters Prepare to Rank Their Congressional Candidates to Choose Winners
Launch of statewide ranked-choice voting will help us see who best earns the support of independents.
6 of the Worst Campaign Ads This Election Cycle
Outing survivors of sexual assault, warning that Democrats "will be lynching black folk again," and other stupid campaign-ad tricks.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: 'Eliminate' Electoral College, It 'Undermines' Democracy
The socialist candidate fails to grapple with why we have the Electoral College in the first place.
A Florida Amendment Seeks to Restore Voting Rights to Ex-Cons Who've Paid Their Dues
If Amendment 4 receives 60% of the vote in November, ex-felons would see the right to vote once again.
A Priest Is Being Deported After Committing the Heinous Crime of Voting
Father David Boase was led to believe that he was eligible to vote. His mistake caught up with him 12 years later.
Send the Straight-Ticket Ballot Option Straight to the Trash
Having a "one-punch" option to choose every candidate from a political party alters election results, changes politicians' behavior, and reinforces the advantage of the locally dominant party.
Court Rejects Johnson-Blocking Straight-Ticket Ballot Change in New Mexico
Last-minute Democrat-assisting reinstatement of "one-punch" balloting is struck down by the New Mexico Supreme Court
Florida Ballot Initiative Asks Voters to Ban Offshore Drilling and Vaping in Offices
Critics have sued, saying the "bundled" initiative violates the First Amendment.
Justin Amash: 'Straight-Ticket Voting Makes it Prohibitive to Run Outside of the Major Parties'
The libertarian Republican explains why New Mexico's voting change is "primarily a scheme to unfairly benefit the major party establishments."
New Mexico Reinstates Straight-Party Voting Just in Time to Thwart Gary Johnson
Democratic secretary of state in heavily Democratic state unilaterally changes voting rule in a way that favors Democrats (and punishes Libertarians). Republicans say they'll sue.
Could an 11-Year-Old Really Hack an Election in 10 Minutes?
Two 11-year-olds hacked into a replica of Florida's election website. Should we be alarmed?
NAACP Sues Connecticut to Stop 'Prison Gerrymandering'
Incarcerated prisoners are counted where they're jailed for representation purposes, even though they usually cannot vote.
Maine Voters Tell Lawmakers They Want to Keep Ranking Their Candidates
State's experiment in a different style of voting to continue.
'I Am Absolutely a Product of the Libertarian-Industrial Complex': Podcast
Katherine Mangu-Ward talks about politics, culture, and Reason's next 50 years.
Can the Blockchain Save Democracy?
Voting on the blockchain could end worries about voter fraud and election hacking.
Maine's Primary a Pioneering Experiment in Ranked-Choice Voting
Voters participate in first use of a candidate rating system for state races in the U.S.
San Francisco's Next Mayor Might Not Be the Person With the Most Votes
Golden Gate City voters ranked their choices for top office. And now the outcome is getting a little messy.
Political Ignorance and Voting for a Lesser Evil
Canadian columnist Marcus Gee has an excellent article on how political ignorance exacerbates the challenges of voting for a lesser evil. But the problem is in some ways even worse than he suggests. At the same time, there is much we can do to improve the quality of our decisions.
Can We Help Save Democracy by Requiring Voters to Pass a Test of Political Knowledge?
Economist Dambisa Moyo is right to worry about the dangers of political ignorance. But her proposed solution for the problem falls short.
Gov. Cuomo to Use Pardons to Restore Voting Rights to Some Felons
He faces a reelection challenge from the left, with Cynthia Nixon running on criminal justice issues like pot legalization.
Texas Woman Gets 5 Years in Prison for the Crime of Not Realizing She Couldn't Vote
An obsession with election fraud leads to cruel punishments.
