Ranked Choice Voting will be used statewide in Maine on June 9, 2026, and voters don't need to join a party to get a say in these taxpayer-funded primaries.
This week, the Democratic Party chair chose to abandon more than 5 million independent voters in California to embrace a regressive proposal to roll back voter rights.
When Independent Voter posted a series of videos about primary turnout on its Facebook page, the comments revealed a startling reality: Many voters think California’s semi-closed presidential primary rules apply to the 2026 midterm elections.
The state’s nonpartisan Top-Two primary was never designed to produce a Democrat vs. Republican Race or to prevent two Democrats or two Republicans from being in the final contest.
Instead of turning back the clock, California should continue its history of pro-voter reform and build on the top-two system – by adding ranked-choice voting to its elections.
Democrats, Republicans and Greens for Constitutional Office publicly defend the right of every voter to participate. The Democratic secretary of state is on the record saying she would prefer a return to closed partisan primaries. Most statewide candidates won’t say where they stand.
Independent candidates surge in several states, while 30% of independent voters are so unhappy with their choices that they plan to sit out the midterm election entirely.
While California voters are making their decisions ahead of the June 2 primary election, the state Republican Party has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, one of its own, over mailers the party says is a “calculated deception."
California’s nonpartisan primary system is built around a simple promise: Every voter gets a say. But, not every voter takes advantage of this. There is a noticeable turnout gap with Latino voters, in particular, who could completely reshape the electoral landscape if they participate.
How first-past-the-post voting turned a primary election into accusations of planted candidates, strategic surrenders, and a Democrat who ran to withdraw.
El sistema de primarias no partidistas de California está construido sobre una promesa muy sencilla: cada votante tiene voz. Pero no todos los votantes aprovechan esto.
California has created one of the most voter-friendly election systems in the nation. Three distinct policies work together to make that possible: a codified set of voter protections, a modernized election model that increases access, and a primary system that opens every race to every voter.
Cara Brown McCormick
Steve Peace
Shawn Griffiths
Meredith Sumpter
Marcela Miranda-Prieto
IVN Editorial Board
Matt Shinners
