Polls consistently show that nearly all Americans across the political spectrum agree that there is too much money in politics – whether from foreign sources, corporations, or so-called “dark money” groups.
In this episode of the Independent Voter Podcast, we debate election integrity, voter suppression concerns, automatic voter registration through DMVs, and whether federalizing election rules undermines states’ rights under Article I of the Constitution.
The bill, introduced by Delegate Katrina Callsen, authorizes a permanent option for ranked choice voting expansion. This allows cities and counties to implement the reform for any and/or all of their elections, including mayoral elections.
Throughout this episode of the Independent Voter Podcast, the central theme remains clear: Americans broadly support common-sense reforms to strengthen election integrity and government accountability, but partisan strategy and fundraising incentives continue to stall meaningful change.
Candidate filings for Congress are set to begin soon in Missouri, yet the people looking to run still have no idea which districts they will be campaigning in as multiple lawsuits against Missouri’s new congressional map have yet to be settled.
Steve Peace -- co-founder of the Independent Voter Project and architect of California’s Top Two primary -- breaks down the wide-open California governor’s race and why campaigns still think in party buckets. The hosts dig into open primaries plus ranked-choice, ICE/immigration and civil liberties,
According to a study conducted by Unite America, many Americans are dissatisfied with the presidential primary process, citing issues like exclusion of independent voters, low turnout, candidates moving to extremes, wasted votes, and the power of party insiders.
A recent Independent Voter News article addressed alarms that the SAVE Act could become a vehicle for banning ranked choice voting nationwide, driven by President Donald Trump’s hostility toward mail voting and RCV and by Republican efforts to attach anti-RCV language to federal legislation.
A new bill in the U.S. House called the Make Elections Great Again Act (MEGA) would enact new election rules right before the 2026 midterms. The legislation incorporates key provisions of the SAVE Act, but also targets ranked choice voting and mail-in ballots.
Kyle Bailey, a former Maine state legislator and Maine’s leading major election reformer, had an excellent op-ed in the Portland Press Herald in 2025. In that piece of commentary, “How we do elections matters,” Bailey celebrates the value of ranked choice voting to Maine and urges its expansion to s
California independent voters are not a monolith. They fall across the political spectrum and hold diverse opinions on a variety of social and political issues. But one thing that unites them is a shared belief that California needs more choice elections.
Calling for “systemic change,” former Alaska Congresswoman Mary Peltola announced on January 12 that she will run for the U.S. Senate in 2026, setting up one of the most closely watched races in the country. Peltola will challenge incumbent Dan Sullivan in a contest likely to be shaped as much by Al
Shawn Griffiths
Independent Voter Podcast
Mike Cantwell
Chad Peace
Joe Pickering
Cara Brown McCormick