28 Arrested in California v. DOJ Election Showdown

On Monday, the DOJ charged 28 California residents with illegal registration and voting, all green card holders by the government’s account, under what it calls Operation Protect the Vote. Behind the charges: a federal lawsuit, a disputed roster of 20,000 names, and a written warning aimed at the county workers who count ballots.

Here is where both sides are right, and wrong.

The DOJ’s 113 cases across 20 states is hardly evidence of mass voter fraud. But, then again, California refuses to produce records that would clear 20,000 registered voters who are suspected to be non-citizens from their voter rolls.

So, naturally, voters continue to line up on different sides of competing, but unprovable, narratives.

Read Cara McCormick's full breakdown on IVN.

Luckily, we're not the only ones who know independents hold the power this election. Matthew McConaughey (yes, the actor) just posted a video encouraging voters to consider independent candidates, calling it his endorsement of two things: “Fairness and reality.”

Check out more stories that go outside the two-sided narrative below.

FEATURED ▶▶▶

California vs. DOJ: Election Integrity Takes a Back Seat to Partisan Politics

The DOJ announced criminal cases against 28 Californians while the state sits on a disputed list of 20,000 names. Fifteen days before Election Day, neither side will give the other what it needs to settle the question. Cara Brown McCormick reports.

POPULAR ON IVN ▶▶▶

The Election Referee Is Missing—and the Money Is Pouring In

By Shawn Griffiths

Bill Hill Raised $1.17 Million. The Fight Is Over Where the Money Comes From

By Matt Shinners

McConaughey: "America’s Brand Was Never ‘R’ or ‘D.’ It’s Independent"

By Shawn Griffiths

Senator Lisa Boscola Trashes Closed Primaries on Pennsylvania Senate Floor

By Jeremy Gruber

Missouri Voters Could Kill a Gerrymander — And Make It Harder for Politicians to Try Again

By Shawn Griffiths

Montana’s Senate Race Is Breaking All the Rules of Party Loyalty

By Matt Shinners

VIDEO CLIP ▶▶▶

Boscola: No American Should Be a ‘Second-Class Voter’

Pennsylvania state Sen. Lisa Boscola took to the Senate floor for the 1.4 million Pennsylvanians registered outside the two major parties: they pay taxes, serve in the military, and send their kids to local schools, but are shut out on primary day. Her passionate speech is a must-watch:

INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES ▶▶▶

Ranked Choice Voting Won’t Hand Bill Hill A Win in Alaska. Here’s What Could

Alaska’s ranked choice ballot gives independent Bill Hill a fair shot, not a free pass. To win, he needs to be the second choice of nearly everyone else’s voters. Matt Shinners does the math:

CALIFORNIA ▶▶▶

California Burned. Utilities Profited. One Lawmaker Says the System Is Broken

After the Eaton Fire, Assemblymember John Harabedian says the system worked exactly as designed: utilities profit, insurers retreat, and survivors wait. The Planning Report on who California is really protecting:

LATEST EPISODE ▶▶▶

Independent Voter Podcast

Independent voters could decide California’s closest contests, and the wording of the voter ID measure alone shifted support by 15 to 20 points in new polling. EP63 on who actually decides this election.

VETERANS ▶▶▶

Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

It took former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard 37,000 signatures and $700,000 just to get on the ballot as an independent in Indiana. He joins Rieckhoff on how the two-party system stacks the deck, and how he intends to change it.