Smells Like Independent Spirit: Nirvana's Krist Novoselic and the Fight for Better Elections

Krist Novoselic
David Lee on Flickr. CC license
Created: 18 Mar, 2024
1 min read

Photo Credit: David Lee / Flickr

 

Former presidential candidate and co-founder of the Forward Party Andrew Yang sat down with Nirvana co-founder Krist Novoselic, who went from changing the status quo in music to bringing that independent spirit to the political arena and the fight for better elections.

Novoselic is a well-known figure. Along with being the co-founder of an industry changing and genre re-defining rock band, he transitioned from the music scene to local politics in Seattle and became an advocate for nonpartisan election reforms like ranked choice voting and proportional representation.

In many respects, Novoselic was ahead of the curve on reforming the way the US elects public officials. He even served as chair of the nonpartisan better elections group, FairVote. 

Yang and Novoselic discuss Nirvana, the transition from the independent music scene to independent politics, how elections today fail to inspire and incentivize participation because they are all but pre-determined, and how fair and simple the solution to this is.

"When you talk to people about it, you can get that 1000-yard stare. It's really deep policy," Novoselic said. "There is something about having a message that people can respond to."

Watch the full conversation between Yang and Novoselic above.

More Choice for San Diego

Related articles

voting line
A New Type of Political Party Has Launched and Is Coming to a City Near You
Third parties have long struggled to break through a political system that is explicitly designed to...
26 Sep, 2022
-
9 min read

Latest articles

US capitol building shown upside down in small orb.
DC Appeals Court Revives Democrats' Effort to Kill the Already Approved Initiative 83
Alex Koma of Loose Lips @WCP reports that a significant legal battle over Initiative 83 (I-83) has been reignited after the District of Columbia Court of Appeals ruled on February 6, 2025, to remand the case to Superior Court ...
10 Feb, 2025
-
2 min read
White House at night.
The Death of Checks and Balances and The Rise of the Imperial Presidency
In his first three weeks back in office, President Trump has already floated taking control of Gaza, authorized Elon Musk to overhaul the Treasury with college interns, and signed more executive orders than most presidents do in a year. While critics argue he's trampling constitutional limits on presidential power, is Trump really breaking new ground - or just building on a century of executive overreach?...
10 Feb, 2025
-
1 min read
American flag in shadow.
Where Is the Hope?
From 2013 to 2016, I authored over 40 articles published by the Independent Voter Network (IVN). I wrote to overcome the partisan divisiveness which had paralyzed our federal government. I wrote about organizations, candidates, individuals and efforts that emphasized non-partisan solutions to the issues we face in America. Hope and positivity were my mantra....
10 Feb, 2025
-
3 min read