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. 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: 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, 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 races for major offices this year.
Or, maybe that's why young voters are following the 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
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Viral ‘Looksmaxxer’ Calls AOC ‘Beautiful’ — and Claims He’s ‘Not Political’
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.
