The federal courts recently hammered three more nails into the coffin of democracy of, by and for the people.

Canada reopened its border to American travelers. The U.S. military will issue a vaccine mandate for troops, while Washington State will do the same for state and health care workers.

In the face of skyrocketing hospitalizations, the heads of cities, counties and school districts have grown desperate for ways to contain the virus.

COVID-19 is surging again in Texas. Hospitalizations are increasing faster than at any other time. Local officials and school leaders are pushing back against Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates.…

COVID-19 is surging again in Texas. Hospitalizations are increasing faster than at any other time. Local officials and school leaders are rebelling against Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates. He…

Seattle's "Democracy Voucher" program is being touted as a national model for campaign financing in articles and books, and even in Congress this year, where a version made its way into the Democrat's giant voting reform bill HR 1. But the results in this year’s August mayoral primary – which is the first time vouchers have ever been used in a Seattle mayor’s race-- were mixed.

DENVER (AP) — When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg donated $400 million to help fund election offices as they scrambled to deal with the coronavirus pandemic late last summer, he said he hoped he would never have to do it again.

In 2018, just outside Portland, Oregon, longtime Washington County District Attorney Bob Hermann announced his retirement. To those in the know, it was obvious that Kevin Barton, a moderate independent and Hermann’s longtime lieutenant, was the best man to fill the spot. Well-liked and with no Republican challengers, Barton was running unopposed. However, hundreds of miles away a “dark money” group with $10 million from Mark Zuckerberg and zero connection to Washington County decided that this was unacceptable. To them, it was obvious that Washington County really needed a high-dollar competitive election with a radical left-wing contender. The people just didn’t know it yet.

Academics and board members say it’s unlikely things will change anytime soon.

Cash from Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg appears to have leaked into prosecutor races as part of his foundation's larger mission to reform the criminal justice system, a review of tax forms show.

Pharmaceutical companies spent nearly $2 million on lobbying during Oregon’s legislative session this year, as the drug industry worked to block lawmakers’ proposal to create a board empowered to set price limits for the costliest medicines. It would have put Oregon at the forefront nationally in addressing prescription drug costs.

In February 2020, Gov. Kate Brown's staff asked state procurement officials to prepare a no-bid contract worth up to $150,000 for her former communications director so he could assist with Oregon’s share of work on the Western Governors’ Association electric vehicle recommendations.

Hall Monitor is a regular column on issues related to Portland City Hall and its influence on the community it serves. There are no fewer than five city bureaus in Portland that are responsible for trash cleanup in public spaces. Depending on the location, need, and availability, one of them might be able to address the growing dump site that’s popped up down the street from your house. If that fails, maybe you can just...

As this year’s legislative session was nearing its end, Patrick Starnes, in a meeting with Gov. Kate Brown, said he got news he didn’t want to hear: Lawmakers wouldn’t be passing bills to reform the state’s campaign finance system.

The strongest belief that pulled me back into politics three years ago is this: we won’t make much headway solving Oregon’s core problems until we dramatically reduce the power of big money in Salem. ...

Letter to the editor

A new study shows the role of the super rich in politics since the Supreme Court loosened restrictions on political spending more than a decade ago.

This year the legislative session needed to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic, which meant closing the Capitol to the public.

A divided U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a California requirement that charities list the names and addresses of their top donors in filings with the state, saying the rule violates the Constitution’s First Amendment.

The 2021 session was supposed to be focused responding to wildfires and COVID-19, but lawmakers accomplished a great deal more in a tumultuous -- and historic -- five months.

Oregon's high-spending session, which ended Saturday evening, was made possible by an unexpectedly robust rebound in Oregon’s economy and an infusion of billions of dollars in federal recovery funds. Sweeping police accountability reforms passed thanks to lawmakers’ heightened awareness of racial inequities and desire to address them, but leaders from communities of color cited several major proposals legislators failed to pass.

In the primary election for the open mayor's seat, all of the leading Seattle candidates have opted in to raise public campaign funding from a wide range of city residents.

Kate Titus and Eric Richardson call on Oregon legislators to stand up against Oregon special interests.

Governor Mills recently signed into law several bills that affect campaigns and elections in the state of Maine. L.D. 1363: An Act to Amend the Laws Governing Elections L.D. 1363 makes several changes to the use of ranked-choice voting and absentee ballots in Maine elections. The bill expands the type of elections using ranked-choice voting. […]