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The independent and nonpartisan reform movements have never seen the momentum they are seeing today. Voters are ditching the Republican and Democratic Parties in droves. A record number of independent and third party candidates are running. And, powerful coalitions are forming to transform the US political system into one that is more representative of the diverse political landscape in America. We are witnessing history in the making. Here are the 15 biggest developments in the independent mov

Maine became the first state in the nation to use ranked choice voting in statewide elections in June. The historic moment has boosted interest in alternative voting methods that offer better election results and an improved system for choosing elected officials. ALSO READ: Independents Made the Difference in Maine’s Ranked Choice Voting In response to IVN's coverage of Maine ranked choice voting (as well as the growing interest in the reform), a number of other voting methods have been sugges

LANE COUNTY, ORE. - A new voting method is close to appearing on the November ballot in Lane County, Oregon. County election officials certified more than the 11,506 signatures needed to qualify STAR Voting for the 2018 general election. It must be reviewed by the Lane County Counsel to ensure it qualifies as a single-subject amendment to officially be on the ballot. STAR (Score-Then-Automatic-Runoff) Voting allows voters to score each candidate 0 to 5. A zero score means no support at all, whi

It is periodically reported that California’s Prop 14 (Non-partisan Top Two Primary) was drafted in the middle of the night in the back rooms of the California Legislature. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Many Americans are currently wondering, “Why don’t our elections result in governments that implement thoughtful, public interest policies that are supported by the majority of Americans?” The reason is process. Most of us worry about policies -- How much are we taxed? How well are the roads maintained? Or worse, we are being distracted by issues that divide us, rather than paying attention to the rules by which we elect leaders and how we are governed. That has led to an unhealthy democracy. P

Mainstream business experts in America are waking up to the failure of our country’s political system.

Mainstream business experts in America are waking up to the failure of our country’s political system. Michael Porter of the Harvard Business School is without equal in his expertise on competition and strategy in industry. An icon to a generation of MBA students, Porter and his co-author Katherine Gehl, a business leader and former CEO, have applied “Porter’s Five Forces” to study our political system in a landmark study released this past September: Why Competition in the Politics Industry Is

As inconclusive as Italy's vote was over the weekend, one thing is clear, the Five Star movement (M5S) is now in the driver's seat as the country's largest party. Voters in Italy said no to the establishment and yes to the up start Five Star movement. An independent group that began its rise about 5 years ago. HUNG PARLIAMENT The reason the vote was inconclusive is because none of the parties received a majority of the vote. The actual seats in parliament have yet to be assigned, but partial

Unite America, formerly the Centrist Project, announced Tuesday a historic national slate of independent candidates running for governor and US Senate. The 5 candidates on the slate include: * Incumbent Alaska Governor Bill Walker; * Kansas gubernatorial candidate Greg Orman; * Maine gubernatorial candidate Terry Hayes; * Missouri US Senate candidate Craig O'Dear; and * Maryland US Senate candidate Neal Simon “These candidates are the vanguard of a new movement in our politics to bridge

Opening our electoral process to more voices than just those from the two national parties is the goal of Open Primaries. The efforts by the RNC and DNC to rig the system and engage in gerrymandering and closed partisan primaries have created a mess between Congress and the American people. And it's a partisan problem that's growing every day. One of the voices trying to bridge the divide and bring more independents into the national consciousness is the president of Open Primaries, John Opdy