Independent Voter News (IVN.us) is a national news platform built around a single conviction: voters should not have to join a political party to have meaningful political power.
That belief shapes what we cover and how we cover it. The American political system structurally disadvantages independent-minded voters through rules, incentives, and institutional gatekeeping. The problem is systemic, not partisan, and IVN reports and analyzes it that way.
We are nonpartisan on candidates and parties. We are not falsely neutral on whether voters deserve fair access to the process. Our coverage focuses on election rules, primary systems, ballot access, campaign mechanics, and the institutional incentives that drive political behavior. We are opinionated about systems. We are not in the business of advocating for candidates.
IVN publishes original reporting, policy analysis, and commentary from contributors across the political spectrum. What unites them is a shared focus on how political systems actually work, who is included, and who is shut out. Authors are expected to argue with rigor, source their claims, and disclose conflicts of interest.
IVN is a co-publication of the Independent Voter Project, a 501(c)(4) nonpartisan organization best known for authoring California's nonpartisan top-two primary (Proposition 14, 2010), and the Foundation for Independent Voter Education, a 501(c)(3) civic education organization and founding member of the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers. IVN is editorially independent from both. Neither organization's funding role grants editorial control over individual contributors.
"We fund this platform to host opinions all over the map, including ours."
Dan Howle, Chairman, Independent Voter Project
What we cover
- Election reform and ballot access
- Primary systems and independent voter participation
- Election rules and campaign mechanics at the federal, state, and local levels
- Policy analysis and explainers, including our How It Really Works series
- Original reporting and contributor commentary on political systems and reform
Contact
Editorial inquiries, tips, corrections, and submissions: editor@ivn.us
News and Awards
IVN's work is reviewed by independent media analysts and has been recognized by national and regional journalism organizations.
Third-party ratings
AllSides Media bias rating: Center
View on AllSides
Media Bias/Fact Check Bias: Least Biased
Factual reporting: High
Credibility: High Credibility
View on MBFC
IVN is also indexed by Google News and is regularly cited as a nonpartisan source by AI platforms and election reform researchers.
Selected awards
San Diego Press Club, "Best of Show" Excellence in Journalism (2019)
Awarded to IVN contributor Carl Nettleton for in-depth reporting and analysis published on IVN. The recognized piece, "SANDAG Goes Back To The Future," traced the policy history behind San Diego's intermodal transportation planning. Read more.
American Civic Collaboration Award ("Civvy"), First Place, Political Category (2018)
The Foundation for Independent Voter Education, IVN's 501(c)(3) co-publisher, received the 2018 Civvy in partnership with the Chamberlain Project Foundation for IVN's nonpartisan coverage of Maine's ranked choice voting initiative. The award recognized the role of independent reporting in helping voters understand a landmark election reform that they ultimately defended and enacted at the ballot box. Read more.
How We Are Funded
IVN.us is supported by two nonprofits with distinct legal roles and overlapping civic missions:
- Independent Voter Project (IVP) is a 501(c)(4) nonpartisan organization focused on election reform, ballot access litigation, and public policy advocacy. IVP authored California's nonpartisan top-two primary system. Contributions to IVP are not tax deductible.
- Foundation for Independent Voter Education (FIVE) is a 501(c)(3) civic education organization that produces nonpartisan voter education and underwrites journalism on IVN. Contributions to FIVE are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Both organizations help fund the IVN platform. Neither directs IVN's editorial coverage. IVP publishes on IVN as one of many contributors and follows the same editorial standards as any other author. IVN regularly publishes work that disagrees with IVP's positions. That is by design.
IVN does not solicit contributions. IVP accepts contributions for its 501(c)(4) reform and advocacy work directly through independentvoterproject.org. FIVE accepts tax-deductible contributions for its 501(c)(3) voter education and journalism work, including the underwriting of editorial content, directly through independentvoterfoundation.org. Each organization manages its own giving.
Transparency
Both publishers maintain public Candid profiles, which include IRS filings and organizational information:
- Independent Voter Project (EIN 20-4842091)
- Foundation for Independent Voter Education (EIN 45-2992162)
Mailing address for both organizations: 2700 Adams Avenue, Suite 202, San Diego, CA 92116.
Republish Our Stories
IVN's reporting is meant to reach voters, not sit behind a paywall. You are welcome to republish most IVN articles at no cost, under the following terms.
Credit the author and IVN
- Keep the original byline. Use the format: "By [Author Name], Independent Voter News." For commentary or opinion pieces, use: "By [Author Name], Special for Independent Voter News."
- At the top of the story, include the line: "This story was originally published by Independent Voter News. Sign up for IVN's newsletter." For commentary, replace "story" with "commentary." If you are republishing in print, the newsletter line can be omitted.
Do not edit the substance of the article
- You may make light changes for time, location, or your publication's house style. For example, "yesterday" can become "last week," and "San Diego" can become "San Diego, California."
- Do not change the headline, the meaning of any sentence, or the substance of the reporting.
- If you add local reporting, include the line "Additional reporting by [Your Publication]" and notify us at editor@ivn.us.
Translations
If you want to translate an IVN article into another language, contact editor@ivn.us for approval. We are generally supportive of translation, especially for civic education content.
Photos, illustrations, and video
- Photos and illustrations produced by IVN staff or marked "for IVN" may be republished only alongside the story in which they originally appeared. For any other use, contact editor@ivn.us.
- Photos and illustrations from wire services such as the Associated Press, Reuters, Getty, or stock providers are not covered by this policy and cannot be republished without separate licensing.
- IVN video and podcast content may be embedded using IVN's standard embed tools. Downloaded copies may not be re-uploaded to a competing platform without permission.
Commercial use
- Do not sell IVN stories, and do not sell ads positioned specifically against an IVN story. You may run IVN stories on a page that includes ads you have already sold to general advertisers.
- Do not use IVN reporting in paid political communications, candidate mailers, or campaign advertising without written permission.
Social media
If you share IVN reporting on social media, please credit @IVN where possible. IVN is on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Regular republishing partnerships
If you are a newsroom, civic organization, or platform interested in a regular content-sharing relationship with IVN, contact editor@ivn.us. We have ongoing partnerships with nonpartisan civic outlets and are happy to discuss feeds, syndication, and co-published series.
Questions
For anything not covered here, including unusual use cases, AI training, or large-scale redistribution, email editor@ivn.us before publishing.