Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

The problem with politics isn’t what you think. Nor is the solution.

Katherine Gehl and Richard Barton

Katherine Gehl and Richard Barton

In 2009, a small group of individuals observed disturbing changes in the way information is communicated in the United States. They were troubled about the effects of an ever-intensifying polarization on public policy issues. They saw how polarized positions divided friends, families, colleagues, and neighbors, and realized that partisan informational silos were a threat to democracy.

In response, the group launched Network for Responsible Public Policy to provide the stories that would educate, inform, foster civic engagement and generate a sense of shared purpose. More than a decade later, NFRPP continues to build bridges founded on trustworthy information and community.

Recently NRPP hosted a video to educate citizens on what is at the root cause of our political dysfunction (an anti-competitive system) and the solutions.


The webinar was moderated by Kevin Johnson, executive director of Election Reformers Network, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to modernizing U.S. democratic institutions threatened by polarization.

Participating in the discussion were Katherine Gehl and Richard Barton.

Gehl is the founder of The Institute for Political Innovation, a nonpartisan nonprofit founded in 2020 to catalyze modern political change in America, and co-author of “ The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy.”

Barton is a professor of public administration and international affairs at Syracuse University. His research focuses on election systems, legislative institutions and American political economy. His peer-reviewed publications include “ A Primary Threat: How Ideological Primary Challengers Exacerbate Polarization in Bill Sponsorship ” and “ Upending the New Deal Regulatory Regime: Democratic Party Position Change on Financial Regulation.”

Watch this insightful video to learn about:

  • How the existing electoral systems deliberately contribute to gridlock and dysfunction.
  • Why competition is crucial in holding elected officials accountable for delivering results.
  • How proposed solutions differ.
  • The promising governing results that are already being seen.

The Problem With Politics Isn’t What You Think It Is. And Neither Is the Solution.www.youtube.com

Read More

"Vote Here" sign
Voters head to the polls in Minneapolis, one of five Minnesota cities that used ranked-choice voting on Tuesday.
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Trump Targets Voting Rights and Suppresses Voting

This essay is part of a series by Lawyers Defending American Democracy where we demonstrate the link between the administration’s sweeping executive actions and their roots in the authoritarian blueprint Project 2025, and show how these actions harm individuals and families throughout the country.

Two months into his second term, President Trump began attacking the most important pillar of our democracy: free and fair elections.

Keep ReadingShow less
Once Again, Politicians Are Choosing Their Voters. It’s Time for Voters To Choose Back.
A pile of political buttons sitting on top of a table

Once Again, Politicians Are Choosing Their Voters. It’s Time for Voters To Choose Back.

Once again, politicians are trying to choose their voters to guarantee their own victories before the first ballot is cast.

In the latest round of redistricting wars, Texas Republicans are attempting a rare mid-decade redistricting to boost their advantage ahead of the 2026 midterms, and Democratic governors in California and New York are signaling they’re ready to “fight fire with fire” with their own partisan gerrymanders.

Keep ReadingShow less
Stolen Land, Stolen Votes: Native Americans Defending the VRA Protects Us All – and We Should Support Them

Wilson Deschine sits at the "be my voice" voter registration stand at the Navajo Nation annual rodeo, in Window Rock.

Getty Images, David Howells

Stolen Land, Stolen Votes: Native Americans Defending the VRA Protects Us All – and We Should Support Them

On July 24, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked a Circuit Court order in a far-reaching case that could affect the voting rights of all Americans. Native American tribes and individuals filed the case as part of their centuries-old fight for rights in their own land.

The underlying subject of the case confronts racial gerrymandering against America’s first inhabitants, where North Dakota’s 2021 redistricting reduced Native Americans’ chances of electing up to three state representatives to just one. The specific issue that the Supreme Court may consider, if it accepts hearing the case, is whether individuals and associations can seek justice under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). That is because the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, contradicting other courts, said that individuals do not have standing to bring Section 2 cases.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trojan Horse: How CA Democrats Might Use Voter ID To Turn Back the Clock

Voter IDs are a requirement in almost every democracy in the world. But legitimate concerns over voter suppression efforts in the American south led to a different ethic inside Democratic Party circles.

Image generated by IVN staff.

Trojan Horse: How CA Democrats Might Use Voter ID To Turn Back the Clock

Voter IDs are a requirement in almost every democracy in the world from Europe to Mexico.

But legitimate concerns over voter suppression efforts in the American south led to a different ethic inside Democratic Party circles. Over time, Voter ID plans have been presumptively conflated with claims of “voter suppression” without much analysis of the actual impact of proposals.

Keep ReadingShow less