Election Reform - Independent Voter News

Presidential Primaries Are Built to Waste Votes. Ranked Choice Voting Could Change That.

Both parties have those who resist change, to be sure, but here’s why ranked choice voting makes so much sense for both Democrats and Republicans.

By

Rob Richie

/ June 11, 2026

Presidential Primaries Are Built to Waste Votes. Ranked Choice Voting Could Change That.

Buffalo City Hall Tried to Kill Pro-Voter Reform Before Voters Could Weigh In

Voters have a chance to vote on open primaries, ranked choice voting, and better ballot access rules, even if City Hall doesn't

By

Shawn Griffiths

/ June 10, 2026

Buffalo City Hall Tried to Kill Pro-Voter Reform Before Voters Could Weigh In

Oklahoma Rejected Nearly 58,000 Signatures for Open Primaries. Now Voters Want Answers.

The Oklahoma secretary of state rejected the signatures of an open primary initiative. Now, voters are taking the matter to court.

By

Shawn Griffiths

/ June 8, 2026

Oklahoma Rejected Nearly 58,000 Signatures for Open Primaries. Now Voters Want Answers.

The Myth of Independent Voter Apathy Dies in New Mexico

Independent voter turnout occurred despite virtually no government public education campaign to inform independents of their new voting rights

By

Jeremy Gruber

/ June 5, 2026

The Myth of Independent Voter Apathy Dies in New Mexico

Cumulative Voting: The Little-Known Reform That Could Crack Open America’s Two-Party Lock

Cumulative voting is another alternative to winner-take-all elections that has far more American uses today and is the one such alternative with a history in state legislative elections.

By

Rob Richie

/ June 5, 2026

Ballot being cast. In the reform debate, cumulative voting and other systems based on voting for candidates deserve more attention.

New Mexico’s First Semi-Open Primary Exposed the Cost of Locking Voters Out

In 2026, more than 37,000 independent voters in New Mexico made history—a number that is more significant than one might think.

By

Shawn Griffiths

/ June 4, 2026

New Mexico Capitol Building. New Mexico held its first semi-open primary election on June 2, and 37,000 independent voters participated.

The Top Two Panic Wasn’t Analysis. It Was Political Manipulation.

California voters did exactly what voters tend to do: they evaluated the candidates, coalesced around viable contenders, and produced a result broadly reflective of the state's electorate.

By

Open Primaries

/ June 3, 2026

A group of California voters cast their ballots in the June 2 Top Two primary.

6 States Vote June 2. Independent Voters Don’t Have the Same Rights in Any of Them.

June 2 primary elections are being held in several states across the US. And when it comes to independent voters and their rights, none of them have the same rules.

By

Shawn Griffiths

/ June 1, 2026

independent voters facing different June 2 primary election rules in California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota.

New Mexico Independents Finally Get a Primary Vote — And They’re Using It Where It Counts

The media reports that nearly 80% of independent voters who participated in early voting picked a Democratic ballot. What the story missed, however, was why.

By

Shawn Griffiths

/ June 1, 2026

New Mexico Independents Finally Get a Primary Vote — And They’re Using It Where It Counts

The Fight Over Open Primaries Is Now a Fight Over Who Owns Democracy

Something big is happening in the debate over open primaries - and the political narrative this primary election season is changing fast.

By

Jeremy Gruber

/ May 29, 2026

The narrative on open primaries is changing. It is becoming the conversation on democracy and election reform.

Congress Finally Notices the Gerrymandering War Politicians Started

A bipartisan group of House members says it wants to stop politicians from choosing their voters — but the real test is whether Congress can act before the map-rigging arms escalates again.

By

Shawn Griffiths

/ May 28, 2026

Congress Finally Notices the Gerrymandering War Politicians Started

How California's Top Two Nonpartisan Primary Transformed the Legislature

The system Republican and Democratic party insiders want to "undo" produced a legislature where women hold 49 percent of seats, people of color hold 55 percent, and Latinos have reached a third of the body for the first time.

By

Cara Brown McCormick

/ May 27, 2026

Undo the Top Two campaign to repeal Top Two, which has created more diversity in the California Legislature. Steve Maviglio, Paul Mitchell, Ron Nerhing, Carl DeMaio.