Cara McCormick, principal at Smart Campaigns, advises on strategy and research. With 10+ years in major races, she led Maine’s historic move to ranked choice voting. Her work focuses on election reforms that improve representation and voter choice.
Election Reform
Skokie voters went to the polls on April 1 amidst a closely watched mayoral election to decide whether or not to adopt ranked choice voting (RCV). With 100% of precincts reporting, 58% of participating voters said ‘Yes’ to changing how the city conducts elections.
Campaigns
Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey made history with a marathon speech on the Senate floor, surpassing 24 hours in a sweeping protest against the policies of former President Donald Trump.
Public Safety
A popular and game-changing rescheduling proposal backed by Donald J. Trump to reclassify cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) remains formally active but administratively paused by a DEA judge.
Election Reform
According to Buying Time 2025 election spending data as of March 26, 2025, more than $81.4 million has been spent on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race between Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford and Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimel, making it the most expensive state judici
Public Safety
On the second anniversary of Federal Correctional Officer Blake Schwarz’s death by suicide, an Iowa congresswoman has reintroduced a significant bill aimed at combating the ongoing mental health crisis among correctional officers.
Public Safety
In November 2024, California voters in all 58 counties approved Proposition 36, known as the "Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act," with approximately 68.4% in favor.
Election Reform
Early voting starts March 18 in Wisconsin’s high-stakes Supreme Court race. Super PACs have fueled record-breaking spending, which is now close to $59 million and has surpassed the previous record set in 2023 for a state Supreme Court election.
Campaigns
The Minnesota House is once again evenly split at 67-67, following Democrat David Gottfried’s decisive victory in a special election held Tuesday night for House District 40B, representing Roseville and Shoreview.
Election Reform
On Monday, Maine's Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee voted 3-7 against restoring batch elimination to the ranked choice voting (RCV) system through LD 656 (HP 424), the title of which claims it will save taxpayers money, but the secretary of state says is unnecessary.
Election Reform
In his new regular column, Diamond on Democracy, democracy scholar Larry Diamond, acknowledges that “[h]aving won the presidency fair and square, Donald Trump has earned the right to propose, and in many cases to implement, radical new policy directions.”
Opinion
American elections are becoming less competitive, and the consequences are eroding democracy. As The New York Times journalists Nick Corasaniti and Michael Wines report this week, most congressional and state legislative races in 2024 were effectively decided by low-turnout primaries or weren’t cont
Cannabis
California consumers who believe they are purchasing legal, natural hemp products may be getting more than they bargained for. A shocking new study reveals that much of what’s sold as “hemp” today is, in reality, a mix of synthetic intoxicants and illicit THC—compounds that could pose significant health