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Florida League of Women Voters abandoned the state’s independents – Miami Herald

On November 6th, the Miami Herald published an op-ed by Brenda Carr, the former vice president of the Upper Keys Chapter of the League of Women Voters.

“I was a member of the Florida League of Women Voters for many years, serving as vice president of the Upper Keys Chapter. I resigned last month because of the League’s opposition to Amendment 3. What perhaps was most offensive about the League’s decision was how it was made. It allowed partisan Democratic Party consultants to make a mockery of the organization’s processes. ‘Vote No on 3’ was the result of partisan pressure, pure and simple, not fact-finding and research.”

Read Carr’s full article here.

The democracy reform and Black political agendas must become aligned – The Fulcrum

In an op-ed published by The Fulcrum on November 2nd, Rev. Darryl Gray and Dr. Jessie Fields discuss the emerging debate within the Black community about how to actualize the demand for change. Is it within the Democratic Party or is there a new path to be forged?

“It is not yet a full-blown debate. The ‘elect more Black Democrats’ approach still dominates. But there is a conversation emerging, fueled by an ascendant Black Lives Matter movement that refuses to be subsumed into partisan politics as usual.”

Read the full article here.

Open Primaries Will Benefit Minority Voters – South Florida Sun Sentinel

In an op-ed published in the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Dr. Jessie Fields expresses her support for Amendment 3, an initiative on the ballot in Florida this November that would establish top-two open primaries in the state, and explains that while opponents of the amendment attempt to spread misinformation about the harm open primaries does to candidates of color, the opposite is actually true – open primaries have proven to create more opportunities for candidates of color and new pathways for empowerment.

“Amendment 3, which is on the Florida ballot this November, will establish an open primary for state offices, ending the exclusion of 3.5 million independent voters — including hundreds of thousands of people of color — from voting in primaries. This system is not new. It is currently used throughout Florida for municipal and many county elections. After it was enacted in California, the Black legislative caucus grew by 50%, the Latino legislative caucus grew by 25%, and voter approval of the legislature grew from 14% to 42% — all in just eight years. It’s a system that is fair to everyone, empowers communities of color and allows all voters to vote for any candidate.”

You can read the full article here.

Undecided Voters Were Key to Trump’s Win in 2016. Will They Deliver Again? – Newsweek

In a recent article about undecided voters published by Newsweek, Independent Voting President Jacqueline Salit dismisses the notion that independent voters are less active or engaged in the political system, asserting instead that being unaffiliated with a major party is a protest against the status quo and a call for political reform.

“It’s a statement of non-compliance with the system,” Salit says. “They don’t want to be forced to vote along party or ideological lines. They want to take responsibility for making their own decision.”

You can read the full article here.

Young Independent Voters Focus on Issues, Not Party – Voice of America

There is a shift away from the two-party system growing among American voters – a shift that is especially tangible among young voters. Feeling that no party completely represents them, they reject the status quo of identifying with political ideologies and instead focus on the issues that are important to them. As a result, young voters are deciding not to join a political party, and instead declare themselves independents.

Watch Independent Voting President Jacqueline Salit and New Jersey Independent Voters’s Javier Luque give their takes on this wave of change in the video below from Voice of America and read the accompanying article here.

If you are a young independent voter and you want to learn more, get involved or connect with other independents, send us a note through the “Contact Us” tab above!

 

The Forty Million Missing: America’s Independent Voters and Voices – The Purple Principle

The Purple Principle, a non-partisan podcast for independent-minded Americans exploring the perils of partisanship in U.S. politics, society and daily life, recently featured four leaders in the independent voting movement in the episode “The Forty Million Missing: America’s Independent Voters and Voices.” In the episode, these four leaders – Jacqueline Salit, president of Independent Voting; Laura Sibilia, independent legislator in the Vermont Assembly; John Opdycke, president of Open Primaries; and Thom Reilly, chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education – share their experiences as prominent, politically-engaged political independents. Salit and Reilly recently co-authored the chapter “Can Independent Voters Save American Democracy?” in the book Democracy Unchained: How to Rebuild Government for the People.

 

Listen to the full episode below.

 

How Can We Move Forward in Anger and Determination? An Independents’ Dialogue on Current Events, Protest and Political Power

On Wednesday, June 3, Independent Voting President Jackie Salit hosted a Zoom event titled “How Can We Move Forward in Anger and Determination? An Independents’ Dialogue on Current Events, Protest and Political Power.” The event took place in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers and the public outcry for justice that resulted. Salit was joined by three distinguished guests: Michael Hardy, Executive Director and General Counsel of the National Action Network and Rev. Al Sharpton; David Cherry, leader of the All Stars Project in Chicago and President of the Leaders Network; and Dr. Jessie Fields, physician, front-line activist for democracy reform and Independent Voting board member. 

 

You can watch their full conversation in the video below.

 

Confronting a New Reality: Independents Speak Out

In the midst of partisan posturing exacerbated by the Coronavirus pandemic, Independent Voting has released a new survey for independents titled Confronting a New Reality: Independents Speak Out. Organized by Tiani Coleman (New Hampshire Independent Voters) and Randy Miller (Utah League of Independent Voters), the survey aims to provide a way for independents to raise their voice safely, despite the circumstances we currently face as a nation.

You can take the survey here. 

Read our press release here.

Go to the campaign page.