> ## 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. # They're Attacking the Last Frontier - URL: https://ivn.us/theyre-attacking-the-last-frontier/ - Published: 2026-09-01T15:26:24.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-01T15:26:24.000Z - Description: Plus, young voters are following the lead of Latinos, everywhere. - Author: IVN Editorial Board - Tags: newsletter In November, Alaskans will be asked again whether to keep their nonpartisan primary system. After failing twice, national [Republican leaders and funders are pouring buckets of money to get their closed primary back](https://ivn.us/alaska-made-elections-matter-again-now-they-want-to-kill-the-system/). And they're trying to take out several other good-government reforms along with it. ‘Ballot Measure 2’ would repeal the state’s Top Four nonpartisan primary, eliminate ranked choice voting, and roll back the dark-money disclosure rules voters approved in 2020\. [The fine print nobody reads](https://ivn.us/alaska-is-voting-on-more-than-ranked-choice-voting-its-voting-on-who-gets-to-vote/): **60% of Alaska voters who can now vote in primary elections would lose that right if Ballot Measure 2 passes**. Democratic Party leadership in New York City is taking the same position as their Republican friends in Alaska. In New York, [1.2 million independents are not allowed to vote in primary elections](https://ivn.us/nyc-keeps-silencing-independents-now-1-2-million-voters-are-building-a-movement/), and no one in the Party seems to mind. Maybe that's why, around the country, **there's been an uprising of credible** [**independent candidates who actually have a shot to win**](https://ivn.us/one-thing-is-clear-in-2026-independent-candidates-are-no-longer-just-spoilers/) races for major offices this year. Or, maybe that's why [young voters are following the Latino trend](https://ivn.us/young-voters-are-following-this-latino-trend/): registering as independent voters in record-breaking numbers. Check out more stories that go outside the two-sided narrative below. ### *FEATURED ▶▶▶* ## Alaska Is Voting on More Than Ranked Choice Voting. It’s Voting on Who Gets to Vote [![Alaska voters at the polls](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/2026/08/image-91d9a6e6-394c-4be0-9c00-15d620b35c1d.jpg)](https://ivn.us/alaska-is-voting-on-more-than-ranked-choice-voting-its-voting-on-who-gets-to-vote/) Shawn Griffiths on what Ballot Measure 2 actually does: repeal the Top Four primary, kill ranked choice voting, gut disclosure — and give party insiders the power to decide **whether 60% of Alaska’s voters get a meaningful say at all**. [READ FULL ARTICLE](https://ivn.us/alaska-is-voting-on-more-than-ranked-choice-voting-its-voting-on-who-gets-to-vote/) ### *POPULAR ON IVN ▶▶▶* [Young Voters are Following This Latino Trend ](https://ivn.us/young-voters-are-following-this-latino-trend/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/02/IMG_5249.png) Chad Peace [ ![Young Voters are Following This Latino Trend](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/latino-voters-young-voters.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/young-voters-are-following-this-latino-trend/) [NYC Keeps Silencing Independents. Now 1.2 Million Voters Are Building a Movement ](https://ivn.us/nyc-keeps-silencing-independents-now-1-2-million-voters-are-building-a-movement/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/06/1517747530842.jpg) Jeremy Gruber [ ![NYC Keeps Silencing Independents. Now 1.2 Million Voters Are Building a Movement](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/nyc-mamdani.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/nyc-keeps-silencing-independents-now-1-2-million-voters-are-building-a-movement/) [Susan Collins Has Defied Political Gravity for 30 Years. Trump May Finally Pull Her Down ](https://ivn.us/susan-collins-has-defied-political-gravity-for-30-years-trump-may-finally-pull-her-down/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/08/Jay-Field.jpg) Jay Field [ ![Susan Collins Has Defied Political Gravity for 30 Years. Trump May Finally Pull Her Down](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/susan-collins-maine-senate-race.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/susan-collins-has-defied-political-gravity-for-30-years-trump-may-finally-pull-her-down/) [Alaska Made Elections Matter Again. Now They Want to Kill the System ](https://ivn.us/alaska-made-elections-matter-again-now-they-want-to-kill-the-system/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/08/IPI.jpg) Election Solutions Bulletin [ ![Alaska Made Elections Matter Again. Now They Want to Kill the System](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/alaska-elections-matter.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/alaska-made-elections-matter-again-now-they-want-to-kill-the-system/) [“I Know What You Are”: When You Leave the Political Tribe, You Become the Enemy ](https://ivn.us/i-know-what-you-are-when-you-leave-the-political-tribe-you-become-the-enemy/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/08/25d0f9fa0390-Carlos_De_Castro_0009_Large-1.jpeg) Carlos De Castro Pretelt [ ![“I Know What You Are”: When You Leave the Political Tribe, You Become the Enemy](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/independent-candidates.png) ](https://ivn.us/i-know-what-you-are-when-you-leave-the-political-tribe-you-become-the-enemy/) [A Supreme Court Ruling Built for the Major Parties Is Helping Idaho Libertarians ](https://ivn.us/a-supreme-court-ruling-built-for-the-major-parties-is-helping-idaho-libertarians/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/02/dJY12ln-_400x400.jpg) Shawn Griffiths [ ![A Supreme Court Ruling Built for the Major Parties Is Helping Idaho Libertarians](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/image-9c8c6502-0f77-4f8e-8165-8f722686671f.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/a-supreme-court-ruling-built-for-the-major-parties-is-helping-idaho-libertarians/) [The Opioid Crisis Was Never Only Rural and White ](https://ivn.us/the-opioid-crisis-was-never-only-rural-and-white/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/08/Dr-Lynn-Webster.jpg) Lynn Webster, M.D. [ ![The Opioid Crisis Was Never Only Rural and White](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/Opioid-Crisis-1.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/the-opioid-crisis-was-never-only-rural-and-white/) ### *LATEST EPISODE ▶▶▶* ## Independent Voter Podcast Trump’s new USPS ballot rule has both parties scrambling — and the truth is more complicated than either side’s spin. On EP56, the hosts break down what the rule actually does and why this week’s Supreme Court ruling is **far more limited than the headlines suggest**. [WATCH NOW](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6L5SA3-aBs&ref=ivn.us) ### *CALIFORNIA ▶▶▶* ## Before a California Bill Gets a Vote, It Has to Get Past Blanca Pacheco [![Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-at-4.55.06---PM.png)](https://ivn.us/before-a-california-bill-gets-a-vote-it-has-to-get-past-blanca-pacheco/) Cara Brown McCormick profiles Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco, chair of the Assembly Rules Committee — **the gatekeeper who decides which bills get hearings, how fast they move, and whether laws take effect immediately**. [READ FULL ARTICLE](https://ivn.us/before-a-california-bill-gets-a-vote-it-has-to-get-past-blanca-pacheco/) ### *INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES ▶▶▶* ## One Thing Is Clear in 2026: Independent Candidates Are No Longer Just Spoilers [![Independent candidates in 2026](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/2026/08/seth-bodnar.jpg)](https://ivn.us/one-thing-is-clear-in-2026-independent-candidates-are-no-longer-just-spoilers/) Matt Shinners surveys the fall landscape: one-on-one Senate showdowns, real money, and growing campaign infrastructure. Independents are heading into November **with a real chance to win — not just to matter**. [READ FULL ARTICLE](https://ivn.us/one-thing-is-clear-in-2026-independent-candidates-are-no-longer-just-spoilers/) ## 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’s Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Wednesday: the Afghan allies America still hasn’t brought home — and **independent veterans surging in Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, and South Dakota, with Todd Achilles up 5 on Sen. Jim Risch**. [WATCH NOW](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK-C5shqGYc&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)