Andrew Yang Q&A: Presidential Shakeup, The Case for a Third Party, and the Need for Better Elections

Andrew
Photo by Gage Skidmore / Flickr. Creative commons license.
Published: 05 Aug, 2024
2 min read

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr

In his latest podcast, Andrew Yang fielded questions from his audience, including his thoughts on the presidential election, making the case for a third party like the Forward Party, and the importance of systemic election reform.

Yang is now long removed from Democratic politics and is focused on the Forward Party and bolstering momentum for reforms like ranked choice voting and open primaries. On making the case for his party, he says:

"What I like to use in the shorthand is, 'Wouldn't you love to have a party that is pragmatic, that is not ideological, that is all about solutions and will listen to data?'"

He added that if this is "your jam" then people should get involved with the Forward Party.

The party is not tied to an ideology, but that doesn't mean members have to be free of ideology. Yang has his own views and political beliefs and someone with different ideas can also be a part of the Forward Party.

"Pragmatically, you would endorse the Democratic or Republican who happens to be for opening up the system, if it exists," Yang said.

Election reform is a priority issue for the Forward Party. Yang has been vocal for years about his support for opening up primaries to ensure all voters have an equal say as well has his support for ranked choice voting.

IVP Donate

Ranked choice voting, in particular, has substantial momentum behind it right now -- but it also faces some challenges as reformers push it to new municipalities and states.

"There is one big challenge and that is money," Yang remarked. He joked that if a billion dollars was dropped on him to make ranked choice voting happen, it would happen.

It speaks to the need for resources. If a reform initiative fails or struggles to get off the ground, it is because there isn't enough money and resources attached to the campaign.

An initiative can also fail because voter education on ranked choice voting is still not where it needs to be in many areas across the US -- which Yang notes "is tied to resources."

Those who benefit from the status quo will do all they can to skew the message away from change. This includes institutional behemoths with a lot of recourses at their disposal. 

Yang talks more about the need for reform, why Democrats get it wrong when they say Trump is a "threat to democracy," his ongoing push for universal basic income, and more. Check out the Q&A above.

Related articles

Time Square at night.
Why Do New York City Elections Look Like Such a Mess?
For the third time in history, New York City voters used ranked choice voting (RCV) to determine their party nominees in Tuesday’s citywide primary elections. First implemented in 2021, the system was used in that year’s highly competitive Democratic primary, where Eric Adams ultimately secured the nomination and went on to become mayor. It was used again in 2023 without incident....
24 Jun, 2025
-
10 min read
Stack of I voted buttons.
RCV Advocates Say Charlottesville’s First Ranked Choice Election Delivers on Promise of Diverse Representation
Tuesday marked a historic election for Charlottesville, Virginia, as the city used ranked choice voting (RCV) for the first time in a competitive Democratic primary. RCV advocates say the results offer a compelling case for the system’s potential to increase representation and voter satisfaction....
19 Jun, 2025
-
4 min read
I voted sticker being put on someone.
Republican Joins Democrats in Maine to Give Voters More Choice
Showing an independent streak in keeping with Maine’s political tradition, Sen. Rick Bennett (R–Oxford) broke ranks with his party this week to join 91 Democrats in supporting a bill that would finally fulfill the will of Maine voters: implementing ranked choice voting (RCV) in all state general elections....
13 Jun, 2025
-
7 min read

Latest articles

A man filling out his election ballot.
Oregon Activist Sues over Closed Primaries: 'I Shouldn't Have to Join a Party to Have a Voice'
A new lawsuit filed in Oregon challenges the constitutionality of the state’s closed primary system, which denies the state’s largest registered voting bloc – independent voters – access to taxpayer-funded primary elections. The suit alleges Oregon is denying the voters equal voting rights...
01 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Supreme Court building.
Supreme Court Sides with Federal Corrections Officers in Lawsuit Over Prison Incident
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 30 that federal prison officers and officials cannot be sued by an inmate who accused them of excessive force during a 2021 incident, delivering a victory for federal corrections personnel concerned about rising legal exposure for doing their jobs....
01 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Marijuana plant.
Why the War on Cannabis Refuses to Die: How Boomers and the Yippies Made Weed Political
For much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, American physicians freely prescribed cannabis to treat a wide range of ailments. But by the mid-twentieth century, federal officials were laying the groundwork for a sweeping criminal crackdown. Cannabis would ultimately be classified as a Schedule I substance, placed alongside heroin and LSD, and transformed into a political weapon that shaped American policy for the next six decades....
30 Jun, 2025
-
2 min read