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Ever heard this joke? “American politics is like a highway of progress. Republicans stand on the right saying turn right, Democrats stand on the left saying turn left, and Independents stand in the middle, hopelessly waiting to be ran over.” If you haven’t heard it, you have now, and you probably understand why people think it’s humorous. Many believe the two-party system is the way for American politics, not a way. We’ve dealt with two parties for so long (and they’ve gamed the system for man

For many, 2017 was another tumultuous year in US politics, defined once more by the hyper-partisan divide on Capitol Hill and rhetoric in the media. As a result of the continued toxic political environment, millions of Americans are not only dissatisfied with the two-party duopoly, but want more choices in elections and are looking to political leaders who are willing to put voters and country before their party, and challenge partisan group think when it doesn't align with their principles. I

Donald Trump said that elections are rigged. And he was right. He still is. But, for all his “drain the swamp” rhetoric, there is a major area of institutional corruption that he and his “Democratic” foes are in perfect partnership: rigging elections so voters only have two meaningful choices. If we were talking about the business of elections, and elections are a multi-billion dollar industry, it goes without saying that the Republican and Democratic Parties have colluded closely for so many

The Republican Party of Alaska is sending a message to its own: If you don't put party first, you can't run in the primary. KTVA reported that the party recently voted to change its rules to kick three Republican lawmakers out of the primary for forming a coalition majority with Democrats and independents. Ironically, the state GOP says it has the authority to do this because of a lawsuit the Democratic Party won against the state in October. Democrats challenged a state law that requires cand

Independent businessman Greg Orman looks like he may be taking another shot at defeating two-party politics in Kansas -- this time for governor. Orman’s campaign announced he has formed an exploratory committee and has just launched a new website. In a state that has been given an F rating from the Center for Public Integrity on almost everything from ethics to transparency to accountability, partisan Republicans and Democrats have treated the legislature and courtrooms more like a political wa

Supporters of a 2018 ballot initiative to legalize psychedelic mushrooms in California were given the green light by the state attorney general's office earlier this month to circulate petitions and gather signatures. They now have until April 30 to gather and submit 365,880 valid signatures from registered voters in the first state to ever legalize medical marijuana under Proposition 215 in 1996. That ballot proposition, as well as Prop. 64 -- the 2016 voter initiative titled "The Adult Use o

Voter distaste for both the Democratic Party and GOP seems to be at an all-time high. But candidate success outside the major parties remains elusive in Washington.

On the surface, it often seems like our existing two-party dominated system is somehow the way our country is “meant to be” and nothing could change that regardless of how dysfunctional things become. But in poll after poll and in countless other ways, the American people are saying loudly and clearly that the major political parties and their leaders are failing the country and the state. That is why more and more people today identify as independents rather than as Republicans or Democrats.

The point of electing Centrist Independents is to empower the political center, to build a bridge between Republicans and Democrats, and to get things done. As I’ve written before in our Finding Common Ground series, there are a host of issues on which Centrist Independents could be the catalyst for productive legislation: infrastructure, health care reform, even gun policy. But there are also times when a handful of Centrist Independents might play a crucial role in stopping a legislative tra

Colorado voters are tired of the Republican and Democratic Parties and the gridlock they have created in the state legislature. Now, one of the leading states for independents may have an opportunity to break up the two-party power structure. These are the findings of a recent Centrist Project survey of over 2,000 likely Colorado voters. According to the survey: * 53 percent of Colorado voters believe the two parties are not working together in the state legislature to solve problems facing c