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| Can a political office be truly ‘nonpartisan’? | Nonpartisan offices have their roots in a reform movement around the turn of the 20th century. At the time, political parties were not primarily associated with ideology, said Todd Donovan, political science professor at Western Washington University. Instead, parties… |
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| Gerrymandering erodes confidence in democracy | This erosion of legitimacy can ripple far beyond Election Day. "If they didn't win fair and square, why should I believe what they say? Why should I pay my taxes? You get an erosion of civic behavior," Bowler said. The study also connects gerrymandering to broader perceptions of corruption… |
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| Voter turnout hits modern low in WA | Voter turnout for this November’s election was the lowest on record for a general election in Washington state history, according to a Seattle Times analysis of election data from the Secretary of State’s Office. Nearly two-thirds of registered voters did not turn in ballots, leaving… |
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| Whatcom primary ballots burst with candidates | “It was the norm around here to have incumbents run unopposed,” said Todd Donovan, a professor of political science at Western Washington University and a sitting county council member. Donovan is not up for election this year. “Even with open seats, a lot of the time… |
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| Why Washington lost its early presidential primary bid | Last week, the rule-making arm of the Democratic National Committee approved a new draft plan for which states will vote first in 2024. Washington didn't make the cut. That's likely because the Evergreen State is too politically left and too geographically west, Todd Donovan, a… |
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| Ranked-choice voting is on the ballot in some state elections | There is growing agreement that the argument ranked-choice voting is “too complicated” is outdated, said Todd Donovan, a political science professor at Western Washington University. Instead, new research focuses on how to make ballots more accessible for voters. While there are… |
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| On the Ballot: Moving King County elections to even years | This week the King County Council voted to change how we vote in King County. Here’s a hint: they want election years to be divisible by two. King County has approved a charter amendment that would move the generally non-partisan county elections from odd-numbered years to even-… |
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| Soaring gas prices, crime rates and homelessness: How will parties position themselves locally headed into primaries? | Early returns from this year’s midterm elections and public opinion polls point to the rising costs of goods, public safety and homelessness dominating political discussion headed into the primaries. The outlook in Spokane mirrors that seen in urban areas across the nation, with soaring… |
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| Should Seattle use ranked-choice voting? | “There was slightly less reported high levels of understanding in [ranked-choice voting] communities, but they were really high across the board,” says Todd Donovan, a political science professor at Western Washington University and a co-author of the study. |
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| Experts on U.S. Capitol riots: We’ve never seen this, either | While the storming of the Capitol is without parallel, similar incidents on a smaller scale have happened in state capitals recently, said Todd Donovan, professor of political science at Western Washington University. Protesters broke doors to enter the Oregon Capitol last week and occupied the… |
