The people currently getting any credit for wanting to fix it are not the people with the power to do so, and the people who do have that power were never in Washington to begin with.
From ballot access and open primaries to independent candidates and ranked choice voting, these groups are shaping the next phase of the voter-first reform movement.
A new ballot petition would replace New York City’s party-locked primary system with an open, ranked-choice Top Three election—putting more than 1.1 million excluded voters back in the process.
As America celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, millions of independent voters are raising their voices to declare that the promise of 1776 belongs to every citizen.
When looking at the accomplishments of these mayors, what sticks out as a throughline? A focus on infrastructure and public safety. Filling potholes, hiring police officers, and building houses. Efforts to bring disparate voices together, and a focus on acting transparently.
A California court’s ranked choice voting remedy is about Latino representation. But it also reflects a larger reality: election systems built around narrow political coalitions routinely leave independent voters outside the room.
A bipartisan House caucus wants to stop politicians from redrawing congressional maps whenever the next partisan power grab comes along. The question is whether Congress is ready to regulate itself.
Is this an effort to minimize the independent vote? It sure feels like it. It is already very difficult for independents to vote in the primary—this is just further muddying the waters.
The court struck down a post-Watergate limit on coordinated party spending, clearing the way for Republican and Democratic committees to pour unlimited money into races—and making it even harder for independents to compete.
Cara Brown McCormick
IVN Editorial Board
Jeremy Gruber
Matt Shinners
Dan Schnur
Shawn Griffiths
Sherry Harrison
