> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://ivn.us/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # California Just Did the Opposite of Mamdani - URL: https://ivn.us/the-right-to-vote-isnt-a-party-perk/ - Published: 2026-08-27T17:50:24.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-27T17:50:24.000Z - Description: 14 California Assembly Democrats just made a bold statement - Author: IVN Editorial Board - Tags: newsletter [Mamdani recently said he's "content" with New York's closed primary system](https://ivn.us/1-2-million-new-yorkers-cant-vote-mamdani-says-hes-content-with-that/) that disenfranchises 1.2 million voters from their taxpayer-funded primary. On Monday, Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen and thirteen fellow California Assembly Democrats introduced [ACA 24, the “Right to Vote” amendment](https://ivn.us/a-dozen-california-democrats-defend-independent-voters-against-a-party-driven-effort-to-undo-the-top-two-nonpartisan-primary/) — authoring a fundamental principal into the California constitution that says just the opposite: **the right to vote comes from citizenship, not from joining a political party.** The timing is no accident in California. [Insiders from both parties ](https://ivn.us/how-californias-top-two-nonpartisan-primary-transformed-the-legislature/)including a longtime Democratic consultant, a former state GOP chair, and the sitting Democratic Party chair among them, are running a campaign to “Undo the Top Two” and drag California back to closed primaries. Standing in their way: **5.2 million Californians registered No Party Preference**, the fastest-growing bloc in the state, fresh off a record 41% primary turnout. As [Shawn Griffiths writes](https://ivn.us/california-legislators-lead-landmark-voting-right-amendment/), the amendment’s authors just made a bet: **the best defense is a good offense**. Don’t just block the repeal: enshrine the nonpartisan right to vote into the Constitution. Check out more stories that go outside the two-sided narrative below. ### *FEATURED ▶▶▶* ## California Legislators Lead Landmark Voting Rights Amendment [![California Right to Vote amendment](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/2026/08/california-right-to-vote-amendment.jpg)](https://ivn.us/california-legislators-lead-landmark-voting-right-amendment/) Shawn Griffiths breaks down ACA 24 — who signed on, what it changes, and why it matters that **roughly a third of California’s Latino voters are now registered with no party at all**. Instead of playing defense against the repeal, fourteen legislators moved to make the right to vote permanent. [READ FULL ARTICLE](https://ivn.us/california-legislators-lead-landmark-voting-right-amendment/) ### *POPULAR ON IVN ▶▶▶* [9 Ways Ranked Choice Ballots Fix What’s Broken in American Elections ](https://ivn.us/9-ways-ranked-choice-ballots-fix-whats-broken-in-american-elections/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/08/steven-hill.jpg) Steven Hill [ ![9 Ways Ranked Choice Ballots Fix What’s Broken in American Elections](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/ranked-choice-voting.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/9-ways-ranked-choice-ballots-fix-whats-broken-in-american-elections/) [Maryland Tried to Rewrite the Rules for Congressional Maps. A Judge Just Hit the Brakes. ](https://ivn.us/maryland-tried-to-rewrite-the-rules-for-congressional-maps-a-judge-just-hit-the-brakes/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/02/dJY12ln-_400x400.jpg) Shawn Griffiths [ ![Maryland Tried to Rewrite the Rules for Congressional Maps. A Judge Just Hit the Brakes.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/image-1a30ea1c-acb4-4313-864b-07e7aed71287.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/maryland-tried-to-rewrite-the-rules-for-congressional-maps-a-judge-just-hit-the-brakes/) [At Harlem Week, NYC Independents Had One Question: Why Can’t We Vote? ](https://ivn.us/at-harlem-week-nyc-independents-had-one-question-why-cant-we-vote/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/06/1517747530842.jpg) Jeremy Gruber [ ![At Harlem Week, NYC Independents Had One Question: Why Can’t We Vote?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/new-york-city-independent-voters-closed-primaries.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/at-harlem-week-nyc-independents-had-one-question-why-cant-we-vote/) [Could USPS Refuse to Deliver Your Ballot? A New Election Fight Is About to Explode ](https://ivn.us/could-usps-refuse-to-deliver-your-ballot-a-new-election-fight-is-about-to-explode/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/02/dJY12ln-_400x400.jpg) Shawn Griffiths [ ![Could USPS Refuse to Deliver Your Ballot? A New Election Fight Is About to Explode](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/image-a1c1c290-e7cc-4f95-bd55-27a1afc6e40e.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/could-usps-refuse-to-deliver-your-ballot-a-new-election-fight-is-about-to-explode/) [70% of America’s Elections Had Only One Candidate. That’s a Problem. ](https://ivn.us/70-of-americas-elections-had-only-one-candidate-thats-a-problem/) By Rafael Gonzalez, The Fulcrum [ ![70% of America’s Elections Had Only One Candidate. That’s a Problem.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/uncontested-US-elections.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/70-of-americas-elections-had-only-one-candidate-thats-a-problem/) [500,000 Oklahoma Independents Can Vote on Voter ID Tuesday — But Not for Governor ](https://ivn.us/500-000-oklahoma-independents-can-vote-on-voter-id-tuesday-but-not-for-governor/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/02/dJY12ln-_400x400.jpg) Shawn Griffiths [ ![500,000 Oklahoma Independents Can Vote on Voter ID Tuesday — But Not for Governor](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/image-093663e8-fdcc-4dea-bea3-9e9b4e251999.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/500-000-oklahoma-independents-can-vote-on-voter-id-tuesday-but-not-for-governor/) [She Lost. She Came Back. Then Suzette Valladares Made California History. ](https://ivn.us/she-lost-she-came-back-then-suzette-valladares-made-california-history/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/02/Cara-McCormick-IVN.png) Cara Brown McCormick [ ![She Lost. She Came Back. Then Suzette Valladares Made California History.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/Suzette-Martinez-Valladares.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/she-lost-she-came-back-then-suzette-valladares-made-california-history/) ### *LATEST EPISODE ▶▶▶* ## Independent Voter Podcast Veteran GOP operative Anne Dunsmore traces 50 years in politics — from a lost bet in a D.C. bar to **George H.W. Bush’s inner circle** — and what a half-century inside the machine taught her about how the parties actually work. EP55 of the Independent Voter Podcast. [WATCH NOW](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9d48T-KKdc&ref=ivn.us) ### *CALIFORNIA ▶▶▶* ## Assembly Democrats Defend Independent Voters Against a Party-Driven Effort to "Undo the Top Two" Nonpartisan Primary [![California Assembly Democrats back the Right to Vote amendment](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/2026/08/dozen-democrats-back-right-to-vote-amendment.jpg)](https://ivn.us/a-dozen-california-democrats-defend-independent-voters-against-a-party-driven-effort-to-undo-the-top-two-nonpartisan-primary/) A new constitutional amendment — ACA 24 — would codify that **the right to vote derives from citizenship, not from affiliation with a political party**. The IVN Editorial Board on the broad Democratic coalition putting voters ahead of their own party’s “Undo the Top Two” campaign. [READ FULL ARTICLE](https://ivn.us/a-dozen-california-democrats-defend-independent-voters-against-a-party-driven-effort-to-undo-the-top-two-nonpartisan-primary/) ### *CANDIDATE SPOTLIGHT ▶▶▶* ## An Independent Just Broke Through in Alaska — As Republicans Try to Kill the System That Made It Possible [![Independent candidate Bill Hill](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/2026/08/bill-hill.jpg)](https://ivn.us/an-independent-just-broke-through-in-alaska-as-republicans-try-to-kill-the-system-that-made-it-possible/) Independent Bill Hill just finished second in Alaska’s Aug. 18 top-four primary — earning a head-to-head ranked-choice matchup with Republican Rep. Nick Begich III for the state’s at-large House seat. The twist: **in November, Alaskans also vote on repealing the very system that put an independent in contention**. Matt Shinners reports. [READ FULL ARTICLE](https://ivn.us/an-independent-just-broke-through-in-alaska-as-republicans-try-to-kill-the-system-that-made-it-possible/) ## NEW: Join the Conversation Now, when you [sign-up for an account on IVN](https://ivn.us/#/portal/signup), you can help frame, change, and inform the discussion. In fact, you can [submit your own news stories](https://ivn.us/publish/), as long as you follow the simple [IVN Etiquette](https://ivn.us/etiquette/). [SIGN UP NOW](https://ivn.us/#/portal/signup) ### *VETERANS ▶▶▶* ## Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff Army veteran Paul Rieckhoff on Florida’s closed primary locking millions of independents out of taxpayer-funded elections — **including 640,000 veterans** — plus the DSA’s continued march through Democratic primaries. [WATCH NOW](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBmp50Nx1ro&ref=ivn.us) ### *VIDEO CLIP ▶▶▶* ## Viral ‘Looksmaxxer’ Calls AOC ‘Beautiful’ — and Claims He’s ‘Not Political’ [![Viral ‘Looksmaxxer’ Calls AOC ‘Beautiful’ — and Claims He’s ‘Not Political’](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/2026/08/Clavicular_AOC_Clip.png)](https://www.instagram.com/p/DcMR-l5iqq5/?ref=ivn.us) Streamer Clavicular says his “I can fix her” post about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was mostly a bit — “I just tweeted that for engagement” — but he insists he’s “simply not political.” His audience? The least partisan in the country: **a record 45% of Americans now identify as independent, including 56% of Gen Z**. [WATCH NOW ON INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/p/DcMR-l5iqq5/?ref=ivn.us) [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/2026/05/omp-320x50-1.gif)](https://openmyprimary.org/?ref=ivn.us)