Trump just signed an executive order directing DHS to build a federal voter list and instructing the USPS to only deliver ballots to "verified" voters. Legal experts say it's unconstitutional. Steve Peace - the man who wrote California's nonpartisan primary - joins the Independent Voter Podcast to break down what the order actually does, why the USPS argument is cleverer than you think, and how California already has a solution sitting on the table that neither party wants to talk about.

Episode Highlights

In this episode of Independent Voter Podcast, we have a packed house featuring regular hosts Cara McCormick, Chad Peace, Ethan Handelman and Shawn Griffiths. Plus, we sat down with former California state senator and Independent Voter Project co-founder Steve Peace.

Peace brings his decades of experience in California politics to discuss the California governor’s race.

But before we get into that, we open the episode with a discussion about Trump's executive order on mail-in ballot voting, and the growing debate over what role the federal government should play in voter verification. 

We dig into the constitutional tension between federal authority and states' rights on election law. Steve Peace, in particular, argues that California Democrats have a golden opportunity to champion ballot transparency through an upcoming November voter ID initiative – rather than ceding the issue to Republican overreach. 

The second half of the episode shifts to the 2026 California governor's race. Steve Peace offers in-depth analysis of the crowded Democratic and Republican field. He breaks down the key contenders including Antonio Villaraigosa, Katie Porter, Eric Swalwell, Betty Yee, Chad Bianco, and Steve Hilton.