Election after election, we hear numbers of election turnout so low that we wonder if they can be real. Despite that fact, though, Jonny Goldstein has an amazingly inspiring story up on his blog today. The woman featured in this video, Alina, registered to vote just one hour after getting her citizenship.

Tomorrow (08/08/08) marks the opening of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Of course, the Olympics are, primarily, an athletic event. But over the years, other factions (social, political, religious and humanitarian) have used the Olympics as a global platform. And these games, given the venue, has already sparked controversy and concern.
US President, George Bush, has made the trip to China – and is planning to attend both the Opening Ceremonies and many sporting events as well. Many foreign leaders and activists had called for a “diplomatic” boycott of the games in protest …read more

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Robert Mugabe ‘won’ the recent presidential election in Zimbabwe through intimidation tactic. This election marks Mugabe’s third decade of ruling Zimbabwe — democratically, if you ask him.
Mongolia’s election this week was marked by the deaths of five people who protested fraud during the election process. They were caught in a riot. Democratically-ruled Mongolia is currently in a state of emergency.
Today is the 4th of July. That may not mean much in most countries, but it marks the independence of the U.S. We didn’t dream up democracy, as much as we might think …read more

With the US presidential season in full swing and the recent political events in Cuba and Pakistan, Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia. The US has long supported this move, and earlier this week, the US was one of the first countries to officially recognize the independent state of Kosovo. So how did that happen? How does the US recognize the existence of a foreign country?
According to Article 2, Section 3 of the US Constitution, the President of the United States has the power to “…receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers.”
This means that the US President has the power to …read more

The political transitions in Cuba and Pakistan were big news today, but they were both inevitable. The peaceful way they are being conducted is the real news!
In Cuba, Fidel Castro formally stepped down as President, ending one of the longest tenures as head of state in the world today. He encouraged the Council of State to choose his brother, Raul, as the next President. This Council of State is itself chosen by a National Assembly. Although the process might technically be considered democratic, it is controlled by Castro and a his cadre of long-time party leaders. There is every indication …read more

Everyone who thinks about either politics or business has an opinion about China. In the September 2007 edition of the top journal Perspectives on Politics, University of Virginia Professor Jeffrey W. Legro explains why he thinks most of these opinions are wrong.
In his article, “What China Will Want: The Future Intentions of a Rising Power,” Legro contends that China is currently a Status Quo Power, which means that China has no interest in seeking changes to the international economic or political system. Three big examples of China’s deepening integration are its membership in the World Trade Organization, its participation in …read more

According to a BBC article published today, Liberia simply cannot afford to hold local polls. At this point, Liberian municipal elections have not been held in 23 years. Between multiple civil wars and the government’s financial troubles, local elections have turned into a luxury the government can’t afford.
Liberia’s Supreme Court handed down a judgment that the Liberian president can appoint local mayors until the country can afford to hold elections, but that decision is being challenged by the United People’s Party, the opposition to President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s ruling party.

We all know that the US has a two-party system. The Republicans and Democrats dominate our political system at all levels. But few people know why our two-party system persists, especially given the perennial discontent with the perceived similarity of the two major parties. There are basically 3 reasons why third-parties have such a difficult time getting their candidates elected to public office.
1:
Many third-parties only appeal to a limited number of voters or a small geographic area. For instance, the Populist Party was basically a Midwestern phenomenon, and the Prohibition Party only appeals to a handful of people. The major …read more

According to an interesting new report by the Pew Research Center, 75% of Americans believe that men and women make equally good political leaders – 16% prefer men, and 6% favor women as leaders. The report, titled “How the World Rates Women as Leaders,” explores attitudes towards men and women as political leaders in nearly 50 countries.
Peru, Spain, and Britain seem to be the most equalitarian states on this issue. In each country, 83% of respondents claimed that both sexes perform equally well as political leaders. On the other hand, just 16% of respondents in the Palestinian territories and …read more

This morning, results from two important votes came back: the Russian parliamentary election and a Venezuelan referendum on term limits.
In Russia…
President Vladimir Putin’s party won 70% of the legislative seats available. Though the results have been in only a few hours, election monitors are already declaring the win unfair, citing numerous acts of intimidation and voting irregularities. Furthermore, Putin’s opposition are concerned that he will use this victory to keep himself in power when his term ends early in 2008
In Venezuela…
There is a direct contrast. Hugo Chavez sent a constitutional reform package to the voters that, if passed, would have …read more