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Dear Chuck,

We received your announcement that you will be stepping down as moderator of NBC’s “Meet The Press” with mixed reaction. Of course, we are happy that you are on to your next chapter and wish you all the best. However, we are sorry to see you go and lament that independent voters, currently between 40 and 50% of the electorate according to the latest Gallup polls, will be losing a valuable voice!

We are independents ourselves, with varying viewpoints and backgrounds, who have chosen to speak in whatever ways we can about why we decided to be independent, because we believe that the voice of independents is vital if we are to move forward as a country. While we are as diverse as the country itself and may vary in our reasons for being independent, we’re deeply disenchanted with the state of politics in the country and feel that the two major parties are responsible.

At a moment when politicians, pundits and the political science establishment have rendered the decision of so many to be independent as meaningless and even gone as far as denying our existence, you have not only shined a light on the growth of the independent electorate, but you have looked to explore some of the reasons that so many voters are choosing to be independents.

In an article in 2021, you wrote:

“One idea that we don’t focus on very often is whether we have the proper structure to support the democracy we collectively crave…And yet, both parties have become soulless zombies of their former selves, re-animated every four years by a cult of personality that on paper appears to offer the party direction and leadership, only to collapse once that personality fades.”

in your interviews with indies in battleground states during the recent midterm elections, you documented the critical importance of listening to what independents have to say about why the country is on the wrong track.

We thank you for your courage in being ahead of the curve on the coverage of independents and hope Meet the Press will follow your lead and further explore the contribution and importance of independents.

We wish you well in your future endeavors!

Sincerely,

Nancy Abrams, Findlay, Ohio

Helen Abel, Richmond, California

Sophia Elizabeth Archambault, Arlington, Washington

Christopher Aune, FORWARD Indiana State Lead, Batesville, Indiana

Steve Barratt, The Coalition for Citizen Initiative, Long Valley, New Jersey

Jill Battalen, member California Independent Voters in Conversation (CIVIC), Oakland, California Al Bell, co-founder, Arizona’s Independent Voter Network, Peoria, Arizona

David Belmont, New York, New York

Perri Benemelis, member, Arizona Independent Voter’s Network, Mesa, Arizona Edward Brady, New York, New York

Eric Bronner, Attorney/Founder Veterans for Political Innovation, Webster Groves, Missouri Jenn Bullock, Director Independent Pennsylvanians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wesley Bryant, Shelby Gap, Kentucky

Michael Calcagno, Committee Chair and Chief Petitioner, ALL OREGON VOTES, Portland, Oregon Jack Charbonneau, Kansas City, Kansas

David Cherry, President of the Leaders Network, Chicago, Illinois

Leah Clifford, Saratoga, New York

Tiani Coleman, president, New Hampshire Independent Voters, Amherst, New Hampshire Jarell Corley, national spokesperson for Open Primaries, Chicago, Illinois

Allen Cox, Bronx, New York

Linda Curtis, Founder of Independent Texans PAC, Bastrop, Texas

Murray Dabby, Atlanta, Georgia

Sue Davies, Founder, New Jersey Independent Voters, Jersey City, New Jersey Evelyn Dougherty, Chair, Massachusetts Coalition of Independent Voters, W. Roxbury, Massachusetts Willis Dunkum III, for Restorative Justice LLC, Houston, Texas

Choice Edwards, Clermont, Florida

Frank Fear, Owosso, Michigan

Dr. Jessie Fields, Independent Voting Board Member, New York, New York

Barbara Franklin, Esq., Honokaa, Hawaii

Mary Fridley, Brooklyn, New York

Bob Friedman, committed independent, Birmingham, Alabama

Kipp Frohlich, Tallahassee, Florida

Jacqueline Fuller, Alexandria, Virginia

Patti Garrison, Lewes, Delaware

Elaina Goldstein, Providence, Rhode Island

Wayne Griffin, Chair South Carolina Independence Party, Greer, South Carolina Nancy Hanks, Interim Philadelphia County Chair for the Forward Party, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Sandi Hebley, Dallas, Texas

Rich Hermann, State Co-Lead, Colorado Forward Party, Morrison, Colorado

Louis Hinman, Kerhonksen, New York

June Hirsh, New York, New York

Debbie Hollis, Waskom, Texas

Raquell Holmes, co-founder California Independent Voters in Conversation, Cotati, California Paul Hosse, Editor/Publisher of AnotherOpinionblog.com, Louisville, Kentucky Steve Hough, Director Florida Fair and Open Primaries, Panama City, Florida Joan Ingalls, Salisbury, Connecticut

Nathan Leach, NonPartisan Nebraska, Kearney, Nebraska

Phil Leech, Spring Lake, Michigan

Robert Lin, Carlsbad, California

John M. Long, MD, Bangor, Maine

Gwen Lowenheim, Brooklyn, New York

Jim Lundberg, Independent Pennsylvanians, Quakerstown, Pennsylvania

Javier Luque, New Jersey Independent Voters, Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey Gwen Mandell, Director of National Outreach, IndependentVoting.org, New York, New York Jill Martel, Dedham, Maine

Diane Matchett, Homer, Alaska

Meko McCarthy, WZA Consultant, Charlotte, North Carolina

Randy Miller, Utah League of Independent Voters, Syracuse, Utah

Linda Minney, Winston-Salem North Carolina

James Morrison, Tucson, Arizona

Bob Perls, Founder/President of the Board, New Mexico Open Elections, Corrales, New Mexico Joe Pickering, Mainers for Open Elections, Bangor Maine

Donna Plunkett, Canton, Ohio

Will Rawn, Havre, Montana

Lisa D. T. Rice, Unite America Board of Directors, Washington, DC

Marian Rich, New York, New York

Steve Richardson, Founder Virginia Independent Voter Assn (VIVA), Falls Church, Virginia Mark Ritter, Frankfort, Kentucky

Joanne Rock, Eagle County Colorado independent…informed and involved voter, Eagle, Colorado Richard Ronner, Queens, New York

Lauren Ross, Interim co-director of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Middlebury, Vermont Alice Rydel, New York, New York

Dona Sauerburger, Independent Voters of Maryland, Gambrills, Maryland Jeanette Schultz, Dayton, Ohio

Elaine Stephen, Kansans Demand Better, Wichita, Kansas

Cathy Stewart, VP for National Development, IndependentVoting.org Shushan, New York Luanne Taylor, Independent candidates in Georgia, USA, Woodstock, Georgia Dr. Gregory Thomas, Helena, Montana

Kim Tremel, Coralville, Iowa

Norma Van Dyke, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Karilyn L Van Oosten, President International Women’s Forum Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona

Kim Wright, South Dakota Independent Voters, Rapid City, South Dakota