CUIP establishes IndependentVoting.org as its dba name.  Independent Pennsylvanians founded.

CUIP launches Let Nader Debate campaign, a grassroots petitioning effort calling for independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader’s inclusion in the debates. Thousands of signatures are gathered and sent to President Bush in an open letter urging him to use his authority as president to intervene in the matter.

Nonpartisan elections measure, a means to transfer power from the parties to the people, is placed on the ballot in New York City by Mayor Bloomberg’s Charter Revision Commission.  Initiative draws fierce opposition from the parties, the media and the political establishment.  Similar efforts follow in California, Oregon and Arizona.   CUIP initiates Choosing an Independent President (ChIP) process.  Howard Dean, John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich, Al Sharpton, and Ralph Nader participate, leading to a partnership with Ralph Nader in 2004.  Four years later, the ChIP process yields support for Barack Obama. Independents deliver Obama’s margin of victory over Hillary Clinton.  CUIP supporters and affiliate groups hold debate watch parties.

CUIP California affiliate Independent Voice forms.  Independents representing a cross section of local and national third parties and voter associations submit a formal Advisory Opinion Request to the Federal Elections Commission, asking the FEC to allow federal funding to be allocated to a coalition who, in the aggregate, earn 5% of the national vote for their respective candidates.  The FEC refuses.

CUIP backs a partnership between mayoral candidate Mike Bloomberg and the Independence Party of NYC, finding common ground in support for nonpartisan elections.  An agreement is reached that, if elected, Bloomberg will introduce an initiative for nonpartisan municipal primaries.  Bloomberg runs as a fusion candidate and receives his margin of victory on the Independence Party line.

CUIP turns away from party building to movement building, focusing on the 43% of Americans who identify as independents. Advocates for structural reforms to empower independent voters: open primaries and presidential debates key among them.  Drawing on long history of efforts to open the presidential debates—lawsuits against IRS, League of Women Voters and The Commission on Presidential Debates (1988, 1992), and testimony before FEC and Congressional hearings, etc.—CUIP launches a Campaign to Change the Question on the presidential debate poll, urging that the 15% criteria used for inclusion in the debates should be based on the question, “Who do you want to see in the debates?” not “Who are you going to vote for?”  

Economist Pat Choate introduces CUIP leaders to Pat Buchanan who considers leaving the Republican Party and seeking the Reform Party nomination for president.  CUIP forms a left/center/right alliance with Buchanan to bring together his “peasant army” with CUIP’s progressive and urban base, provoking a public uproar over the ideological mismatch.  Lenora Fulani endorses Buchanan’s Reform bid but withdraws several months later after he violates his agreement to not tamper with the Reform Party’s internal party politics or attempt to turn it into a right wing party.  Buchanan campaign is tanked.

Reform Party struggles to move beyond Perot.  CUIP forces join with networks allied with Jesse Ventura to elect a new party chairman from outside the Perot clique.  CUIP’s Lenora Fulani wins 45% of the delegate vote for vice chair at the Dearborn, Michigan convention, giving strong indication of grassroots support for black/independent alliance.

Black Reformers Network extends Reform Party base into black and Latino communities under guidance of former independent presidential candidate Dr. Lenora Fulani.  CUIP helps to design and execute the first model of a national online open primary in a direct democracy experiment to select the Reform Party presidential nominee.  One million Americans sign up by phone or online to participate.  Ernst & Young supervises the balloting process.

CUIP President Jacqueline Salit directs Reform Party’s efforts to oppose Fast Track authority for the President, a special power needed to pursue aggressive globalization.  Fast Track is defeated.  Salit also manages the creation of an immigration platform that fuses left/center/right views into a pro-reform package.