Are election rules protecting voters or protecting parties? Cara, Chad, Ethan, and Shawn break down voter ID laws, Texas Republicans shutting out independents, the FCC's move against late night TV, and why Gallup stopped polling. Independent voters are nearly half the electorate, and the parties are scared.

Episode Highlights

In this episode of the Independent Voter Podcast, we tackle one of the most polarizing issues in American politics: voter ID laws and the federal SAVE Act proposal requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.

The discussion contrasts California’s proposed voter ID initiative with congressional Republicans’ push for stricter national standards, including documentary proof such as birth certificates or passports.

We debate election integrity, voter suppression concerns, automatic voter registration through DMVs, and whether federalizing election rules undermines states’ rights under Article I of the Constitution.

There is also a lively discussion about new FCC guidelines that are causing networks like CBS to crack down on who is allowed on late night shows, referring to the recent incident with late night host Stephen Colbert and Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico.

Is it fair? Is it censorship? Is it designed to protect one man or party from criticism? And if so, will it work or will it backfire?

The episode also explores open primaries in Texas, where Talarico is currently running, including legal challenges from the Republican Party to close them and broader debates over independent voters, party affiliation, and ballot access.

And finally, we close the episode with a discussion on ranked choice voting, its use in Virginia local elections and even in NFL MVP voting. We also talk about Gallup’s decision to discontinue presidential approval polling, raising questions about polling methodology, political trust, media narratives, and the future of public opinion data.

Listen to this episode and more from Independent Voter Project on Spotify and Apple Music.