Independent voters are often ignored by the media and pollsters. They are vilified by the major parties for not picking a side. Yet, in the 2022 midterms and in every election in recent history, independent voters have defined the outcomes.
Independent voters have decided presidential and high-profile US Senate and congressional races. Independent voters have also driven historic reform victories to give Americans elections that are fairer, more competitive, and more accountable.
This is a segment of the voting population that is challenging conventional wisdom when it comes to how voters choose to participate in the democratic process, and how the election system is rigged against voters who challenge the manufactured two-party system.
The nonpartisan reform group Open Primaries hosted a discussion with Oklahoma City Mayor John Holt and Arizona-based civil rights attorney Danny Ortega to discuss the implications of an independent voter population that outnumbers members of at least one major party in half the states that register voters by party affiliation.
This includes how we need to approach election reform, voter outreach, and election administration.
Open Primaries writes:
“Danny Ortega is a Democratic Party leader, an attorney, an Open Primaries National Spokesperson & longtime advocate for community empowerment & democratic reform. He speaks frequently about the impact closed primaries have on Latino participation, representation, and empowerment. Ortega is the former Board Chair of UnidosUS (formerly National Council of La Raza), the largest Latino nonprofit advocacy & civil rights organization in the country. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Abogados Hispanic Bar Association, & the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
David Holt has been the Mayor of Oklahoma City - America’s 20th-largest - since 2018. He was first elected with 78% of the vote & won re-election in 2022 with more votes than any candidate for OKC mayor since 1959. A member of the Osage Nation, Holt is the first Native American Mayor of OKC. He’s been an innovative & inclusive leader, guiding his city through times of tumult & growth. He maintains a high national profile and serves as a Trustee for the US Conference of Mayors & a board member for the National League of Cities. Previous to his time as Mayor, Holt served eight years in the Oklahoma Senate, and also served in the White House of President George W. Bush.”
November 4 marks a special election for what has become the most controversial ballot measure in California in recent memory: Proposition 50, which would circumvent congressional districts drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission for a legislative-drawn map....
Every major voting rights movement in U.S. history – whether successful or not – has intertwined with landmark litigation. This was the case for women’s suffrage. It was the case for civil rights. And it is the case in the ongoing effort to protect the right of all voters to have equal participation in taxpayer-funded elections – something millions of independent voters are denied across the U.S....
In a dramatic step forward for litigation challenging closed primaries, the U.S. Supreme Court has indicated they are going to conference to discuss whether to grant a writ of certiorari to Polelle v. Florida Secretary of State; a case challenging Florida's closed primaries that Open Primaries has supported since its inception....
Shawn Griffiths
