1.2 million independent voters in New York City are shut out of primary elections, and in a very blue city like NYC, the primaries are the ONLY elections that matter.
Veterans carry a credibility that no party label can manufacture, and at a moment when nearly every institution has shed public trust, it is the one identity that still commands broad, cross-partisan respect.
Independent voters in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh showed up at polling places across Pennsylvania on Tuesday with a simple message: stop locking 1.5 million voters out of taxpayer-funded elections. But there's more!
Democrats, Republicans and Greens for Constitutional Office publicly defend the right of every voter to participate. The Democratic secretary of state is on the record saying she would prefer a return to closed partisan primaries. Most statewide candidates won’t say where they stand.
Independent candidates surge in several states, while 30% of independent voters are so unhappy with their choices that they plan to sit out the midterm election entirely.
California’s nonpartisan primary system is built around a simple promise: Every voter gets a say. But, not every voter takes advantage of this. There is a noticeable turnout gap with Latino voters, in particular, who could completely reshape the electoral landscape if they participate.
California has created one of the most voter-friendly election systems in the nation. Three distinct policies work together to make that possible: a codified set of voter protections, a modernized election model that increases access, and a primary system that opens every race to every voter.
A broad cross-partisan coalition of California reformers launched More Choice California on Monday to lead the opposition against a proposed repeal of the state's nonpartisan Top Two primary system.
The polarization we see in our politics is not a mystery. It is the predictable output of a system designed to produce it. Nothing meaningful can change until we fix the structure that keeps producing these outcomes.
California's nonpartisan primary gives independent voters real decision-making power. All voters, regardless of their political party, can cast a vote for any candidate. California is only one of three states that treat every voter and every candidate exactly the same.
Jeremy Gruber
Matt Shinners
IVN Editorial Board
Shawn Griffiths
Cara Brown McCormick
Susan DiVito
