California Legislators Lead Landmark Voting Rights Amendment

President Trump just handed the Postal Service veto power over your mail-in ballot, and Chad and Cara can't agree on whether that's chaos, overreach, or both. This episode, the crew untangles what the USPS's new ballot rule actually does, why the Supreme Court's ruling this week is more limited than the headlines suggest, and why Cara thinks Republicans are abandoning their own Tenth Amendment principles to get it.

From there, the conversation shifts to California, where a new constitutional amendment, ACA 24, could guarantee every voter regardless of party the right to participate in publicly funded elections, and where Cara lays out exactly how Democratic and Republican operatives quietly teamed up to try to kill the state's open-primary system after record-breaking turnout. The hosts also dig into the Pentagon's firing of Stars and Stripes' editor-in-chief and a Middle East reporter after they defended the paper's editorial independence, a First Amendment fight with deep roots in military history. Stick around for the final few minutes, where a resurfaced 2013 courthouse video turns into one of the pettier storylines of the Texas Senate race.

This episode is sponsored by the Independent Voter Project and produced by Olas Media. Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

The Independent Voter Podcast also has its own YouTube channel! If you enjoy these conversations, subscribe to our dedicated channel for full episodes, interviews, and future content.

Episode Highlights

On this episode of the Independent Voter Podcast, hosts Chad Peace, Cara McCormick, and Shawn Griffiths dig into the USPS ballot rule, with Chad arguing that Republicans invoking federal power over mail ballots betrays their own Tenth Amendment principles on state control of elections.

Shawn walks through the legal weeds of this week's Supreme Court ruling, explaining that the justices only lifted one of two nationwide injunctions (in California v. Trump), while a separate case tied to the League of Women Voters remains in place, meaning the rule still isn't enforceable ahead of November.

The conversation pivots to California, where Cara breaks down ACA 24, a new constitutional amendment introduced by Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen and 13 colleagues that would guarantee every citizen, regardless of party, the right to vote in publicly funded elections.

Cara lays out how operatives like Steve Maviglio, Paul Mitchell, and Carl DeMaio, alongside Democratic figures like Lorena Gonzalez and party chair Rusty Hicks, coordinated an "Undo the Top Two" campaign to roll back California's open primary after record turnout.

California Legislators Lead Landmark Voting Rights Amendment

A coalition of California Democrats wants to put independent voters’ right to participate in publicly funded elections into the state Constitution — but getting it before voters will require Republican support.

Independent Voter NewsShawn Griffiths

The hosts highlight the turnout numbers driving the fight: California's primary hit over 41% turnout with a surge among NPP (no party preference) and Latino voters, a sharp contrast to the roughly 9-10% turnout in New York City's closed municipal primary.

Cara and Shawn turn to the Pentagon's firing of Stars and Stripes editor Eric Slavin and reporter Lara Court after they defended the paper's editorial independence in reporting on conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, framing it as a First Amendment fight with roots dating back to the Civil War.

In the closing segment, the hosts dive into the Ken Paxton vs. James Talarico Texas Senate race, covering Paxton's push to close the state's primaries despite Texas having no party registration, and a resurfaced 2013 courthouse video showing Paxton pocketing a colleague's pen, now fueling Talarico campaign merchandise.