The Washington Voting Rights Act is about ensuring that every vote that is cast in this state counts. And we know a vote truly counts when the community is reflected in those who hold office. This bill gives our local governments the flexibility, choice, and due process to ensure this fundamental measure of democracy is maintained. We have an opportunity to make a dramatic difference in the ability of people to elect a candidate that represents them by passing the Washington Voting Rights Act this year. The WVRA will allow us to implement a process where unfair election systems can be challenged and fixed without having to resort to a federal court case. We’ll efficiently and quickly replace inequitable systems with ones that are fair, we’ll elect more people who truly represent the community, and we’ll help our communities thrive. Democrats and Republicans may have differing views on many things, including civil rights law like this, but we all believe in the inherent right and power of the vote. After years of working on this critical bill, making significant compromises to ensure we can get votes from both sides of the aisle, the time has come to join together in doing what is right and passing the Washington Voting Rights Act immediately. A more equitable Washington is possible, but we must stand together and demand that our legislators take action. Pass the Washington Voting Rights Act of 2016.

I'm an individual of many different races, meaning not all of my family was able to pass down all of the different languages. I would have loved to been able to take Italian throughout my high school years because the younger you are, the faster and easier it is to learn a language, but because this was not an option, my only option was to wait until college. I think giving children more of a variety of languages that they can learn, would make them feel less forced to take a language and it would encourage them to view it as something they enjoy and actually want to be involved in.

[UPDATE: ON MARCH 2, 2016, THE LARKSPUR CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED REMOVING THE POLES AT MAGNOLIA AND WARD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!] The installation of the poles seems to have bypassed the extraordinary scrutiny of the Planning Commission. According to City Manager Dan Schwartz’s comments in a recent article in the Marin IJ, “The poles were considered a utility project, which didn’t require the same treatment as a remodel or upkeep of architecture.” The fact that the city considered the poles, designed to allow the City of Larkspur sell advertising to non-profit groups, to be a “utility” is a gross misinterpretation of the word. It seems clear that the installation of the poles should have gone through the planning commission and been subject to Larkspur Municipal Code Section 18.41.120, Design Review and Heritage Preservation Board Review, SD Storefront Downtown Regulations that states: All proposed new structures, additions and other modifications to the exterior of a building shall be subject to the provisions of Chapter 18.64 LMC, Design Review, and for those parcels in the combining heritage preservation district, review and recommendation by the Heritage Preservation Board, per Chapter 18.19 LMC. (Ord. 933 § 3, 2004; Ord. 929 § 38, 2004; Ord. 841 § 1 (part), 1993). Furthermore, according to Larkspur Municipal Code Section 18.60.060 F, Signs, Permitted Identification Signs for Places of Business: The maximum height of freestanding signs shall be ten feet measured from finish grade elevation at the sign base to the uppermost part of the sign or supporting structure. The existing poles stand 25 feet high, 15 feet higher than is allowed for such a sign. Add your name to have these poles removed.

Minnesotans flocked to the polls in record numbers on Super Tuesday to support Bernie Sanders. We can not have our state's senators and representatives circumventing the clear and decisive will of the state they are supposed to represent. Our positions should be their position in this matter. They should be held accountable to their constituents. If they do not represent the people who elected them, we will find someone else who does. Their names are below: Al Franken - MN Senate (Clinton) Amy Klobuchar - MN Senate (Clinton) Betty McCollum - MN House of Representatives (Clinton) Rick Nolan - MN House of Representatives (Clinton) Tim Walz - MN House of Representatives (Clinton) Collin Peterson - MN House of Representatives (Uncommitted) Keith Ellison - MN House of Representatives (Sanders)

On Super Tuesday I watched as MSNBC breathlessly "projected" the results of each state's primary by declaring one or the other candidate the winner. That's inaccurate. The general election in November works that way. The electoral college system means that winning a state by one vote gets you all of that state's delegates. But that's simply not how the primaries in either major party work. If Hillary Clinton "wins" my state of Massachusetts by one percentage point, then she and Bernie Sanders will more or less split the pledged delegates from the state and both be a nearly equal amount closer to becoming the nominee. By announcing Clinton as the "winner" you create the mistaken impression that that one percentage point more made her much more likely to become the nominee. That's bad journalism. In fact, for all of Donald Trump's success on Super Tuesday, the current estimate is that he will have won 254 pledged delegates on the night compared to 217 for Senator Ted Cruz. That's hardly an unambiguous victory. You do you viewers a great disservice by inaccurately reporting the news. Your reporting can change the perception of the candidates chances and the election. Please change how you talk about the results. You should report on the number of pledged delegates each candidate won and not focus on who "won" each state.

Minnesotans flocked to the polls in record numbers on Super Tuesday to support Bernie Sanders. We can not have our governor circumventing the clear and decisive will of the state he is supposed to govern. Our positions should be his position in this matter. He should be held accountable to his constituents.

Democratic Party of Illinois & Reps. Emanuel "Chris" Welch, John D'Amico & Jaime Andrade have flooded mailboxes with dubious, inaccurate and unsourced claims that Chris Harris, Jac Charlier & Harish I. Patel are linked to Gov. Bruce Rauner. Attacking progressive & independent candidates as being tools of Rauner is a cynical way for insiders to protect themselves from legitimate challenges in Democratic Party primary.

On Feb. 18, the Georgia Senate passed SB277—the so-called “Protecting Georgia Small Business Act.” This legislation fails to protect everyday people who work hard each day to build a better life for themselves and their families. The bill keeps everyday Georgians from having the ability to get raises, benefits, and safe working conditions. It’s a shell game we’ve seen before. Businesses across the country often hire subcontractors and temp agencies to run portions of their operations. They use these outlets to misclassify workers and escape responsibility for employee issues like overtime pay, wage theft, and unionization efforts. This gives huge corporations an out when it comes to their responsibility as employers, putting an even bigger burden on working people in Georgia. Back in July, the National Labor Relations Board took a step to protect workers from these kinds of abuses. It rightfully ruled in favor of workers, easing the path for employees to negotiate with their employer while holding companies accountable for their actions. SB277 is a step backward. The bill subjects Georgia workers to the same destructive practices that have thwarted workers’ progress for decades. We don’t need more policies that protect big corporations and their schemes. Instead, our elected officials should be looking for ways to protect and strengthen the rights of working people to be paid for all the hours they work and to have a voice on the job. It’s time for the people we elect to represent us in the statehouse to stand up for the power of working people speaking up together. Join us in opposing SB277. Tell your local representative to vote NO on this legislation.

New Jersey's economic and social future is in jeopardy! While out campaigning for president, or vice president, Governor Christie is not fulfilling his promise to the people of New Jersey. Stop the mass exodus.

Not even ex-Presidents are allowed to break Voter Laws. Action must be taken and not only have the process made right, but to stop this illegal behavior from happening again. President Clinton must see himself as above the law or untouchable which is why Americans are fed up with politics as usual.

We need to save the rights of the American people from money hungry wealthy people like State Rep. Barbara Sears. She doesn't care how many people she puts on the welfare roster. I am directly affected by this Bill 394 because I'm a blue collar steel worker whose job is being downsized due to unfair foreign trade with China and the oil glut from Saudi Arabia. Our government has let other countries topple our resources and who's left suffering? The American blue collar workers. Where's our bail out Obama?

Americans have been burdened by an unfair and unjust tax system for far too long.