The Gerrymandering Wars Have a Wild Card: Independent Voters

You'd think Democrats and MAGA Republicans agree on nothing, but they just quietly teamed up to do one specific thing: shut 7 million California independent voters out of the primary. We're naming names.

Chad, Cara, and Shawn break down the bipartisan effort to undo California's top-two nonpartisan primary - with Democratic consultant Steve Maviglio and former CA GOP director Ron Nehring leading the charge, joined improbably by Lorena Gonzalez on the left and Carl DeMaio on the right.

Politico just covered the More Choice California Coalition fighting back, and the crew gets into why "voter confusion" is a manufactured talking point. Chad lays out the 115-year reform fight, Cara walks through which constitutional candidates actually responded to IVP's survey (and which Secretary of State conveniently didn't), and Shawn covers DC's city council quietly defunding Initiative 83 after 73% of voters passed it.

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

Episode Highlights

In this episode of the Independent Voter Podcast, Chad, Cara, Shawn, and Ethan dive into one of the hottest topics in 2024 election reform: the battle over California's Top Two nonpartisan primary system. 

The More Choice California Coalition – recently featured in Politico – is fighting back against a bipartisan effort by Democratic and Republican Party leaders to repeal Top Two and return to closed primaries.

With over 7 million independent voters at stake, the hosts argue this is a critical voter rights issue that goes far beyond party politics. 

Political operatives from both sides of the aisle are uniting to suppress independent voter participation and regain control of the taxpayer-funded primary process, while More Choice wants to upgrade the system.

More Choice California Launches to Defend Nonpartisan Primary as Democratic and Republican Operatives Join Forces to Repeal It

A broad cross-partisan coalition of California reformers launched More Choice California on Monday to lead the opposition against a proposed repeal of the state’s nonpartisan Top Two primary system.

Independent Voter NewsShawn Griffiths

The conversation tackles election reform trends gaining momentum across the country, including ranked choice voting (RCV), open primaries, and Top Four and Top Five primary proposals as solutions to a system that incentivizes zero accountability and hyper-polarization.  

The hosts discuss how partisan obstruction to voter-backed reform extends beyond California. Washington D.C. and Maine voters passed landmark open primary and RCV ballot initiatives – with DC's Initiative 83 winning 73% of the vote – only to face roadblocks from entrenched party establishments.

DC Political Machine Refuses to Implement Landmark Voting Rights Initiative

The DC City Council has refused to fully fund and implement Initiative 83, the semi-open primary and ranked choice voting measure that was approved by 73% of voters in 2024.

Independent Voter NewsShawn Griffiths

The episode also unpacks results from an IVP candidate survey of California's statewide contenders, revealing who supports independent voter rights and expanded primary access—and who doesn't, including a notable non-response from California Secretary of State Shirley Weber. 

With the June primary fast approaching, the hosts stress the importance of voter turnout among No Party Preference (NPP) voters, noting their power under a nonpartisan system could reshape outcomes all the way to the November general election. 

Listeners are encouraged to visit IVN.us, IndependentVoterProject.org, and follow the More Choice California on social media for the latest in grassroots political reform, nonpartisan voting rights, and civic engagement initiatives.