Your ideal president probably can't even get on the ballot.

Think about the leaders with bold visions you’ve wanted to vote for -- the ones with the best ideas who have the potential to transform American politics. Most never stand a chance, regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum.

In our revealing episode, 'Running for President as an Independent: How it Really Works,' the Independent Voter Podcast exposes exactly why candidates with powerful ideas and dedicated supporters get systematically shut out of presidential contention.

Host Chad Peace and guest Cara McCormick dissect the interconnected barriers that block real political diversity: prohibitive ballot access requirements that drain millions from campaigns, the structural disadvantages of running without party infrastructure, strategic debate exclusions that limit national exposure, and a winner-take-all Electoral College that is almost mathematically certain to eliminate anyone outside the two major parties.

With real-world examples from H. Ross Perot to RFK, Jr., the conversation shows how even candidates with substantial resources, name recognition, and passionate supporters crash against these barriers, not because their ideas lack merit, but because the system itself prevents electoral choice.

Produced for Independent Voter News by Olas Media, this isn't just about procedural roadblocks. It's about how America's political system actively prevents the bold thinkers and paradigm-shifters you actually want to vote for from ever reaching your ballot.

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