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.
Public Safety
Job vacancies in prison and state hospital health care have grown even as California has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to fill medical and mental health positions, according to a new state audit.
Campaigns
The American River connects the cities of Folsom, Rancho Cordova, and Citrus Heights, forming the core of California’s 7th Assembly District, which also includes the unincorporated communities of McClellan Park, North Highlands, Foothill Farms, Fair Oaks, Orangevale, Gold River, Rosemont, Mather, an
Campaigns
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat and Kamala Harris’s running mate in the 2024 presidential election that Donald J. Trump ultimately won, announced January 5 that he will not seek a third term in 2026.
Podcast
Prop 50 is redrawing California’s political battlefield, sparking new fears of gerrymandering, backroom mapmaking, and voters losing their voice.
Cannabis
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Thursday that his administration will officially move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, a decision that marks the most significant change to U.S. drug policy since the early 1970s.
Campaigns
California’s 67th Assembly District stretches across parts of Orange and Los Angeles counties, connecting some of the region’s most dynamic and diverse suburban communities. It includes the entire cities of Cerritos, La Palma, Hawaiian Gardens, Artesia, Buena Park, and Cypress, as well as portions o
Cannabis
If reports prove accurate, tomorrow may mark the most significant shift in federal drug policy in 55 years. Multiple administration sources are signaling that President Trump is poised to follow through on what has long been teased: rescheduling cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Con
Campaigns
California’s 31st Assembly District runs through the agricultural heart of the San Joaquin Valley, where the land is lined with orchards, vineyards, and produce fields that feed the state and the nation. It covers portions of Fresno County, including the cities of Parlier, Selma, Orange Cove, Fowler
Cannabis
The Washington Post reports that according to six people familiar with the discussions, President Donald Trump is expected to direct federal agencies to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance.
Election Reform
The Institute for Mathematics and Democracy (IMD) has released what may be the most comprehensive empirical study of ranked choice voting ever conducted. The 66-page report analyzes nearly 4,000 real-world ranked ballot elections, including some 2,000 political elections, and more than 60 million si
Podcast
Independent Voter Podcast host Chad Peace and co-host Cara McCormick dive into the left’s political freak-out over Trump potentially rescheduling cannabis — and what it exposes about a system that weaponizes even 80/20 issues.
Campaigns
The coastline that defines California’s mythology begins here. From Malibu’s winding cliffs to the leafy streets of Brentwood and Bel Air, through Topanga Canyon and into the valleys of Calabasas, Agoura Hills, and Thousand Oaks, the 42nd Assembly District holds some of the most photographed, most c