From MAGA’s takeover of the GOP to the rise of democratic socialists, the author argues that America’s political upheaval is a symptom of an election system that rewards party capture, discourages independent competition, and leaves voters with too few choices.
From the election reform battles of 2024 to the campaigns of 2026, a new documentary follows the independent voters who keep fighting to change American politics—even when the odds are stacked against them.
California voters broke the political parties’ grip on primary elections in 2010. A new repeal effort raises a fundamental question: Who should get to choose the candidates on the November ballot?
The Voter Protection Project, which has backed only Democrats since 2019, joins a coalition of democracy groups supporting independent congressional candidate Bill Hill. This year, Alaska’s top-four election system is also on the ballot, as it faces another attempt to repeal it.
Alaska's repeal campaign inadvertently reveals voter demand for open primaries by attacking them. With independents making up two-thirds of Alaska voters, the message is clear: voters want to participate without choosing a party first.
A federal judge paused a Texas GOP lawsuit seeking closed primaries, saying the legislature should decide the issue in 2027. The case has exposed a divide within the party, with Abbott and Cornyn taking opposing positions on whether to exclude independent voters from taxpayer-funded primaries.
A campaign ad in Alaska claims Ballot Measure 2 would bring back open primaries and reject dark money, but the state already has nonpartisan open primaries that the measure would actually repeal and restrict campaign finance transparency.
Three leaked recordings in two weeks have put a spotlight on the Nebraska Senate race and on the research operations that dig up this kind of material.
Illinois independent gubernatorial candidate Collin Corbett is demanding access to a debate forum with the Democratic and Republican nominees, facing the same polling-based exclusion rules that have kept independent and third-party candidates off debates for decades.
A closed Republican primary, a weak Democratic Party, and a wide gap between how Idahoans register and how they identify have produced an unusually deep bench of independents.
Katherine Gehl
Robert Pease
Dan Schnur
Matt Shinners
Jeremy Gruber
Shawn Griffiths
Cara Brown McCormick
