Get ready for the June primary by checking out the latest ballot initiative information on CaliforniaChoices.org. Developed by the IGS Library in conjunction with Next 10, the site includes comprehensive information about the statewide June ballot initiatives (Props 28 and 29) including endorsements, polling data, arguments for and against, video clips from supporters and opponents, recent press coverage, in-depth background information, and much more.
The interactive endorsements tool allows users to see which statewide newspapers, nonprofits, unions and political parties endorse or reject these two ballot measures. Users can also share how they are planning to vote via email and Facebook.

The latest episode in the UCTV Prime: Vote series focuses on on campaign finance and features Bruce Cain, former IGS Director and now executive director of the UC Washington Center, and Thad Kousser, former IGS graduate student and now associate professor of political science at UC San Diego. The short video, "Moneybags - Who’s Funding Campaign 2012," explains how recent court decisions have led to the gush of independent spending on the presidential campaign, and why this election is on track to break all funding records.

IGS is pleased to recognize our graduate students who will receive their PhDs in Political Science on May 14. All five have landed prestigious position in academia.

• Devin Caughey, Assistant Professor of Political Science, MIT
• Katie Galloway, Lecturer, Graduate School of Journalism, UC Berkeley
• Alex Theodoridis, Assistant Professor of Political Science, UC Merced
• Abby Wood, Assistant Professor of Law, USC School of Law
• John Hanley, Distinguished Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Maxwell School, Syracuse University

New Gardner Fellow Zarko Perovic ('12) is featured in the recent edition of the Berkeleyan along with the other finalists for the University Medal. Read more about Zarko in the Berkeleyan and learn about the Gardner Fellowship on the program page. Congratulations Zarko!

Round two of the Berkeley-British Columbia Symposium co-sponsored by IGS took place last month in Vancouver. More than 30 international scholars and experts gathered at the University of British Columbia to analyze the impact of trade, border security, energy development and immigration on North American policy priorities. Read more about it here.