> ## 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. # Well, that didn't work - URL: https://ivn.us/well-that-didnt-work/ - Published: 2026-08-19T19:06:35.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-19T19:06:35.000Z - Description: Plus: The RNC is running the same playbook - Author: IVN Editorial Board - Tags: newsletter Some leaders in the Democratic Party are worried their members might have too much of a say over who their presidential nominee is in 2028\. So they tried to ban the use of Ranked Choice Voting. [Didn't work](https://ivn.us/dnc-backs-down-on-ranked-choice-voting-ban-after-backlash/). Meanwhile, [Alaska just ran another nonpartisan primary that is under attack from the other partisan flank](https://ivn.us/alaska-caps-campaign-cash-now-voters-face-a-dark-money-fight/). For the same reason. Control. On the [Independent Voter Podcast](https://ivn.us/podcasts/elon-musks-1-5-million-attack-on-ranked-choice-voting-in-alaska-ep52/), we break down how Musk, the DNC, and state Republicans all ended up fighting the same enemy: **the right of voters to control elections, instead of party insiders**. It's becoming THE national issue that [neither party wants you to talk about](https://ivn.us/the-voting-rights-case-that-could-turn-both-parties-against-the-supreme-court/). Check out more stories that go outside the two-sided narrative below. ### *FEATURED ▶▶▶* ## DNC Backs Down on Ranked Choice Voting Ban After Backlash [![DNC ranked choice voting vote](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/2026/08/image-9249aaa7-c903-4741-9aa0-8db68d232dfe.jpg)](https://ivn.us/dnc-backs-down-on-ranked-choice-voting-ban-after-backlash/) After a week of backlash from voters and reform groups, the DNC shelved its plan to ban ranked choice voting in 2028 presidential primaries - **a rare case of a party establishment backing down when voters push back**. Shawn Griffiths reports. [READ FULL ARTICLE](https://ivn.us/dnc-backs-down-on-ranked-choice-voting-ban-after-backlash/) ### *POPULAR ON IVN ▶▶▶* [Alaska Caps Campaign Cash — Now Voters Face a Dark Money Fight ](https://ivn.us/alaska-caps-campaign-cash-now-voters-face-a-dark-money-fight/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/02/dJY12ln-_400x400.jpg) Shawn Griffiths [ ![Alaska Caps Campaign Cash — Now Voters Face a Dark Money Fight](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/image-ab9066ab-0928-4b8b-b09a-9fc866f47d52.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/alaska-caps-campaign-cash-now-voters-face-a-dark-money-fight/) [Americans Are Leaving the Two Parties Faster Than the System Can Trap Them ](https://ivn.us/americans-are-leaving-the-two-parties-faster-than-the-system-can-trap-them/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/08/russell-dutton.jpg) Russell Dutton [ ![Americans Are Leaving the Two Parties Faster Than the System Can Trap Them](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/independent-voter-growth.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/americans-are-leaving-the-two-parties-faster-than-the-system-can-trap-them/) [Steve Hilton Blames Sam Altman and Dario Amodei for Making America Fear AI ](https://ivn.us/steve-hilton-blames-sam-altman-and-dario-amodei-for-making-america-fear-ai/) 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 [ ![Steve Hilton Blames Sam Altman and Dario Amodei for Making America Fear AI](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/steve-hilton-on-AI.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/steve-hilton-blames-sam-altman-and-dario-amodei-for-making-america-fear-ai/) [68,000 ‘Zombie Votes’ Haunted Wisconsin’s Democratic Primary ](https://ivn.us/68-000-zombie-votes-haunted-wisconsins-democratic-primary/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/02/dJY12ln-_400x400.jpg) Shawn Griffiths [ ![68,000 ‘Zombie Votes’ Haunted Wisconsin’s Democratic Primary](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/image-569ec3c2-baf5-4ce3-a055-9fd63039f38b.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/68-000-zombie-votes-haunted-wisconsins-democratic-primary/) [New Texas Secretary of State Holds the Line Against GOP Push to Close Primaries ](https://ivn.us/new-texas-secretary-of-state-holds-the-line-against-gop-push-to-close-primaries/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/06/1517747530842.jpg) Jeremy Gruber [ ![New Texas Secretary of State Holds the Line Against GOP Push to Close Primaries](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/texas-primaries-lawsuit.png) ](https://ivn.us/new-texas-secretary-of-state-holds-the-line-against-gop-push-to-close-primaries/) [We Expect Election Referees to Be Neutral. So Why Do We Make Them Pick a Team? ](https://ivn.us/we-expect-election-referees-to-be-neutral-so-why-do-we-make-them-pick-a-team/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/08/JC-Profile.png) Joseph Cerrone, Ph.D [ ![We Expect Election Referees to Be Neutral. So Why Do We Make Them Pick a Team?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/california-secretary-of-state-election-administration.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/we-expect-election-referees-to-be-neutral-so-why-do-we-make-them-pick-a-team/) [Lauren Pinkston Is Betting Tennessee Isn’t as Red as It Looks ](https://ivn.us/lauren-pinkston-is-betting-tennessee-isnt-as-red-as-it-looks/) By ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w30/2026/05/matt-shinners.png) Matt Shinners [ ![Lauren Pinkston Is Betting Tennessee Isn’t as Red as It Looks](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/size/w320/2026/08/Lauren-Pinkston.jpg) ](https://ivn.us/lauren-pinkston-is-betting-tennessee-isnt-as-red-as-it-looks/) ### *LATEST EPISODE ▶▶▶* ## Independent Voter Podcast Elon Musk, the DNC, and Alaska Republicans all ended up fighting the same enemy this month: **your right to a meaningful vote**. The Independent Voter Podcast breaks down the $1.5 million campaign against ranked choice voting in Alaska — and why the system keeps surviving. [WATCH NOW](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnvyvnltsrA&ref=ivn.us) ### *CALIFORNIA ▶▶▶* ## Someone in Sacramento Is Actually Trying to Solve Problems [![California State Capitol](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/2026/08/california-problem-solvers.jpg)](https://ivn.us/someone-in-sacramento-is-actually-trying-to-solve-problems/) Dan Schnur on the California lawmakers nobody writes headlines about: the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus — 26 legislators quietly passing bills on housing costs and energy **without the partisan combat that stalls everything else in Sacramento**. [READ FULL ARTICLE](https://ivn.us/someone-in-sacramento-is-actually-trying-to-solve-problems/) ### *VIRAL ▶▶▶* ## Trump Says Michigan’s New Senate Nominee Will Bring a ‘Life of Hell’ [![Trump Says Michigan’s New Senate Nominee Will Bring a ‘Life of Hell’](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/2026/08/Trump_ElSayed_Clip_Square.png)](https://www.facebook.com/reel/1929666251057831) What happens if “the communists” win? “A life of hell,” according to President Trump — and the example he reached for was Michigan’s brand-new Democratic Senate nominee, Abdul El-Sayed: “When I watch Abdul, he’s full of s---.” Here’s the part the outrage machine skips: El-Sayed got there through one of the few primaries independents can actually vote in — Emerson polling had independents favoring him 60-33, a far wider margin than among Democrats themselves. **Over 7,500 people have already chimed in** — watch the clip and join the conversation. [WATCH NOW ON FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/reel/1929666251057831) ## 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 sits down with Sen. Joe Manchin and Heather Manchin, who are betting that **a handful of independent victories in 2026 could break the two-party grip on Congress** — and building the organization to make it happen. [WATCH NOW](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKJqh7ARlJg&ref=ivn.us) ### *CANDIDATE SPOTLIGHT ▶▶▶* ## Why Rick Bennett Left the GOP to Run for Governor of Maine Former Maine Senate President Rick Bennett spent decades inside the Republican Party. Now he’s running for governor as an independent — and his reason is not what you think: **the two-party system itself is corrupt, and it’s a major cause of government dysfunction**. Watch EP53 of the Independent Voter Podcast: [WATCH NOW](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHgIJdTRC3Y&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)