On Election Day, just 35 of the 435 congressional seats up for election will have a competitive race, with less than half the voting population likely to vote in the 2014 midterm elections.
The cornerstone of our democracy -- elections -- are becoming so utterly predictable that the House of Representatives does not represent the majority of Americans, who are increasingly choosing not to register with either major party.
In fact, 42 percent of likely U.S. voters now self-identify as independent voters, with party registration in key battleground states suffering.
Why are more and more voters becoming independent voters?
"Because I am a citizen of the United States of America, and that trumps being a Democrat or a Republican." - Amy Daniels
"Because I vote for issues and not political parties." - Ivette Ferrer
"Because I have this radical notion that I should voice my own beliefs rather than let my personal opinions be constrained by a party platform." - Dodge Dakota
"Because not one single person in the history of ever has had the exact thoughts and beliefs I do, many similar, but not exact. So how would one party or the other, which is a big group of people with an agenda, have all the views I ever will have." - Josh Dennert
"Because there are usually more than 2 sides of a problem. Isn't it sad that GOP and Democrats won't think outside their parties." - Roger Horvath
"Because I don't like kool-aid." - Elise Hokman
"Because I vote for individuals instead of by party. I've never voted down straight party lines and I have voted for both Dems and Repubs in several different elections. Limiting ourselves to two parties is just expanding the divisiveness and partisanship that we currently have which does not get anything done for the good of the American people." - Crystal Felice
"Because I am an informed voter ... I want to make an informed choice and vote for the right person for the job ..... not the party." - Judy Green
"Options baby, options." - Matt Gross
"I like to make my own decisions, not be told how I should think!" - William E. Hines
"I am pro gun and pro choice." - Rachael Dee
"I believe that each party has good and bad ideals and look for politicians who can work for solutions with any party." - Lee Thomas
"Because I want to vote for people who are concerned about Our Country, and not about getting re-rlected as their first priority!" - Phil Bush
"I have found no home in the Democratic or Republican Party." - Ronald Duane Grace Jr.
"Because I don't like the politics of either party." - Cheryl Comento
"I'm independent minded about everything else. Why not this?" - Thomas Painter
"Because I am finding I have less in common with either party." - Barbara Wilson Stevens
"Tired of the blame game!" - Jordan Briley
"Because it's my right..." - Bob Lambert
"I have always voted person, not a party." - Carole Janish Wilson
The latest Independent Voter Podcast episode takes listeners through the messy intersections of politics, reform, and public perception. Chad and Cara open with the irony of partisan outrage over trivial issues like a White House ballroom while overlooking the deeper dysfunctions in our democracy. From California to Maine, they unpack how the very words on a ballot can tilt entire elections and how both major parties manipulate language and process to maintain power....
The special election for California Prop 50 wraps up November 4 and recent polling shows the odds strongly favor its passage. The measure suspends the state’s independent congressional map for a legislative gerrymander that Princeton grades as one of the worst in the nation....
Across the country, both parties are weighing whether to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia are all in various stages of the action. Here are five politicians who have declined to support redistricting efforts promoted by their own parties....
Jane Susskind
