Independent Voter News

The Primary Threat to Our Democratic Process

Few people would characterize the conservative South as enlightened when it comes to electoral politics. But the truth is that in some respects it is more advanced than many Democratic strongholds. ...

6 Democrat v. Democrat Races That Could Change California

Early voting in California is quickly approaching for the 2022 election cycle. In most elections, voters will choose among candidates from two different parties -- but in several districts -- the “top...

A New Type of Political Party Has Launched and Is Coming to a City Near You

Third parties have long struggled to break through a political system that is explicitly designed to benefit the Republican and Democratic Parties. However, the Forward Party is taking an unprecedented approach to tear down the duopoly’s barriers....

Ranked Choice Voting: Election Savior or Wishful Thinking?

Editor's Note: The pieces below feature two sides to the ongoing discussion on ranked choice voting from Deb Otis of FairVote and John Aldrich, Pfizer-Pratt University Professor of Political Science, ...

Party Control over Election Certification Risks Future of Elections

Partisan machinations have increasingly shaken the faith in the integrity of the election process. Election deniers were just the start, but things have escalated to the point where some election administrators – loyal to their party – have refused to certify election results for political reasons....

North to the Future: How Alaska is Blazing a Trail for Less Partisanship

Now, with the success of Alaska, and perhaps others, blowing wind to their backs -- San Diego could be poised for its own success....

Nonpartisan Primaries, Ranked Choice Voting Steer Focus of Pro Voter Reformers

The reform landscape has changed over the last few years. Solutions that were once presented at odds with each other have combined efforts to give voters fairer, more equitable, and more accountable e...

Campaigns

Voting Is Underway in Alaska's Historic Midterm Elections

Early voting for the August 16 primaries and special election to fill Alaska’s vacant congressional seat has begun. This means that for the first time Alaskans will use ranked choice voting and will v...

The Fulcrum

August Report: The State of Voting in the US

Editor's Note: This article originally published on The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher. ‍ The Voting Rights Lab is tracking 2,185 bills so far this session,...

Campaigns

Leading Republicans, Democrats, and Independents Unite to Form First 'Open' Party

Disenchanted and disenfranchised Republicans, Democrats, and independents are joining forces to take on the two-party duopoly with a new political party build on inclusion, accountability, and better ...

Nation State of Play

The Abundance Choice: How California Needs to Address Its Water Shortage

Edward Ring returns to the program to discuss his new book, The Abundance Choice . Ed is one of the leading voices in California to address our rapidly accelerating water shortage....

Deconstructed

Bill Shireman Believes We're All 'In This Together'

Bill Shireman, founder of In This Together , joins host T.J. O’Hara on Deconstructed to discuss the divisive political environment within which we find ourselves... and what can be done about it. Mr. ...

Senator Brian Jones: Against the Odds but for the People

State Senator Brian Jones joins host T.J. O’Hara on Deconstructed to discuss California politics. Senator Jones represents the 38 th District that covers the vast majority of San Diego County. He prev...

The Justice Party Spreads The Seeds of Grassroots Politics

Ross C. Anderson, known to most as “Rocky” Anderson, joins host T.J. O’Hara on Deconstructed to talk about politics and the Justice Party. Mr. Anderson served consecutive terms as the 33rd mayor of S...

Transparency International U.S. Shines a Light on Corruption

Scott Greytak, Director of Advocacy for Transparency International U.S. , joins host T.J. O’Hara on Deconstructed to talk about that organization’s war on corruption. Transparency International U.S. (...

One Nation, Under Control, with Liberty and Reason for all

Brian Mistrot, Founder and President of One Nation Movement, joins host T.J. O’Hara on Deconstructed to talk about his new political organization. Mr. Mistrot has an interesting background in politic...

Front and Center with the Common Sense Party of California

Michael Maxsenti, co-host of the podcast Front and Center with Steve and Michael and an advisor to the new Common Sense Party of California, joins host T.J. O’Hara on Deconstructed to talk about the p...

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How to Win Friends and Save the Republic

Following the Science (with Aaron Hamlin)

Aaron Hamlin is the co-founder and executive director of The Center for Election Science, a nonprofit that is probably best known as a champion of an alternative voting method called Approval Voting. ...

Seeking Approval in Utah (with Nate Allen)

We're joined by Nate Allen, founder and Executive Director of Utah Approves, to discuss Approval Voting and his perspective on changing the incentives of our elections....

A New Generation of Citizens (with Elizabeth Clay Roy)

We've all heard that "children are our future," but few organizations have connected that sentiment to democracy building like Generation Citizen. Their CEO Elizabeth Clay Roy shares with us her passi...

A New Promise to America

Following the Citizens United v FEC decision in 2010, attorney Jeff Clements began to strategize how to correct the mistakes that had been made. The ruling had opened the door to limitless money flowi...

Building Bigger Bridges (with Debilyn Molineaux)

Debilyn Molineaux's name is synonymous with cross-partisan bridge building and the importance of civil dialogue in a democratic society. In this episode with visit with Debilyn about her path from adv...

Nation State of Play

The Abundance Choice: How California Needs to Address Its Water Shortage

Edward Ring returns to the program to discuss his new book, The Abundance Choice . Ed is one of the leading voices in California to address our rapidly accelerating water shortage....

Chuck Rocha - Latino Outreach Strategies

Bryan has a conversation with Chuck Rocha, political consultant, Democratic Party strategist, former union organizer who is the president of Solidarity Strategies and host of the newly launched Nuestr...

Jon Switalski - California Infrastructure and Supply Delays

Bryan is joined by Jon Switalski , Executive Director of Rebuild SoCal to talk infrastructure improvement and the problems that affect the supply chain delays in California. (Originally aired 22Oct21)...

Janell Smiley - Educational Challenges and Opportunities in California

Janell Smiley , author of As Long As They Don't Turn into Weirdo s, joins Bryan to explore the educational opportunities in California. Her book recounts her family's journey through the process of s...

Jim Knox - Big Tobacco's Latest Mis-Information Campaign

Bryan speaks with Jim Knox , Vice President, Legislative Advocacy at American Cancer Society , on the misinformation used by Big Tobacco to target vulnerable consumers. (Originally aired 24Sept21)...

Danielle Coffey - The Future of the Free Press

Danielle Coffey , EVP and General Counsel for the News Media Alliance , shares with Bryan the future of the free press and pending legislation. The News Media Alliance represents 2,000 news media outl...

Toppling The Duopoly

Ranked Choice Voting In NYC: More Choice, Greater Diversity, and Better Representation

On this episode of Toppling the Duopoly, host Shawn Griffiths welcomes back FairVote Senior Analyst Deb Otis to discuss a new report she co-authored on the impact ranked choice voting had on New York ...

Veterans Are Joining The Fight For A Better Democracy

On this episode of Toppling The Duopoly, host Shawn Griffiths is joined by Eric Bronner, co-founder and COO of Veterans for Political Innovation (VPI). VPI's mission is to mobilize veterans and suppor...

Andrew Yang Is On Board to Topple the Two-Party Duopoly

On this episode of Toppling the Duopoly, host Shawn Griffiths is joined by the leader of the Yang Gang himself, Andrew Yang. Yang is a US business leader, a former Democratic presidential candidate, a...

Anti-Corruption Awards to Honor Entrepreneurs Investing in Better Elections

On this episode of Toppling The Duopoly, host Shawn Griffiths is joined by Cathy Stewart and Amikka Smith, who are co-hosting IndependentVoting.org's 20th Annual Anti-Corruption Awards on Monday, Octo...

Do California Elections Need Ranked Choice Voting?

Toppling the Duopoly host Shawn Griffiths is joined by Tom Charron, who is representing a new group called the California RCV Coalition (Cal RCV). At a time when ranked choice voting is having a momen...

Why Every Assumption The Two Parties Have About Latino Voters Is Wrong

‍ Latino voters in Texas have the numbers to shift the political paradigm in their state. However, turnout among Latinos continues to lag. There are misconceptions and social stigmas about why this is...

Editorial and Commentary

Reginald Jones - Leading Neighborhood Innovation in San Diego

Reginald Jones , president and CEO of Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation , , speaks to Jeff about the needs and solutions for San Diego urban communities and how the Jacobs Center continues to ...

The Inauguration Special: Honoring George Mitrovich

‍ Friends and family join Jeff Marston to honor San Diego's own George Mitrovich in celebration of the inauguration of the 46th President, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (Originally Aired 20January21) ‍...