In an op-ed published by the Times Union, Open Primaries’ John Opdycke and Jeremy Gruber detail how New York State’s antiquated, exclusionary voter laws have led to some of the lowest voter turnout in the country and how open primaries would open the doors to greater participation.
News Category: In the News
More excessive partisanship will make wound from Capitol siege even worse – The Fulcrum
On Thursday, January 14th, The Fulcrum published a commentary by Independent Voting President Jacqueline Salit on the events that took place at the capitol building on January 6th.
You can read the article here: https://thefulcrum.us/big-picture/independent-voters-2340986
Political Reform and the 2020 Election – FixUS
On November 19th, FixUS hosted a virtual public event featuring leaders and experts on political reform (including Independent Voting President Jacqueline Salit) discussing what specific reforms were on the ballot, how it went, lessons learned, and implications going forward. Watch the full conversation in the video below.
The Next Great Migration: The Rise of Independent Voters
Open Primaries just published a must-read report on the projected increase in the number of independent voters titled The Next Great Migration: The Rise of Independent Voters. The report also documents the barriers that unaffiliated voters face and chronicles the little-known history of voter registration laws. Independent Voting has consistently called on the reform and research communities to explore these crucial issues and we thank Open Primaries for assembling this groundbreaking report.
Read the report here.
A Black, Latinx, and Independent alliance
(Picture by Victoria Pickering)
“African Americans, Latinx, and Independents were the critical margin of victory for President-elect Joseph Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris when the state of Pennsylvania called the contest in their favor just before noon on Saturday, November 7, securing enough Electoral College votes to win the presidential election,” writes Dr. Omar Ali, Dean of Lloyd International Honors College at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and member of the board at Independent Voting, in his post-election analysis. “In 2020, we see the makings of a potentially powerful Black, Latinx, and independent alliance, or as [Jacqueline] Salit puts it, ‘a potent third force that defies political categories.’”
Read Dr. Ali’s full analysis here.
And Now What? A Post-Election Review for Independents & Friends
In her post-election briefing, Independent Voting President Jackie Salit provides a snapshot of independents’ role in the 2020 election and plans ahead for driving a new agenda.
“We’re just at the beginning of the process of shaping and reshaping the political landscape in this country. Independents were the margin in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, and close to the margin in the popular vote. This story is not just about the outcome of one particular election – changing trends in American political life and a new force that’s banging on the door of partisan politics and saying ‘we have got to find a way to do things differently.’”
Watch the full conversation below:
Independents vital to Biden win, boon to a good-governance cause – The Fulcrum
On November 13th, The Fulcrum published an article on just how much independent voters contributed to President-Elect Joe Biden’s margin of victory.
“Americans not aligned with either major party favored Joe Biden for president by 13 percentage points, exit polls show. It’s the biggest margin among independents in more than three decades. That’s welcome evidence to those who perceive American democracy’s problems as largely rooted in the major-party duopoly, and who say the system will work better if independents are awarded more political influence.”
Read the full article here.
Tens of thousands left the president option blank, though ‘undervotes’ were down from 2016 – USA Today
On November 11th, USA Today published an article profiling voters who went to the polls and purposely left their pick for president blank – an act known as an “undervote.” Independent Voting President Jacqueline Salit is quoted in the article in relation to the outspoken nature of this act. Salit said “People just saw this election as an opportunity to make a statement about the direction of the country.”
Read the full article here.
There Wasn’t a Red or Blue Wave in 2020; There Was An Independent Wave – Independent Voter News
On November 10th, Independent Voter News published an article that touched on a powerful truth of the 2020 elections – there wasn’t a red or blue wave, there was an independent wave. Independent Voting President Jacqueline Salit is quoted in the article, saying:
“Independents are a volatile community of voters. They elected two successive ‘outsider’ presidents, in the hopes of establishing a new direction, something other than the status quo. In this cycle, they elected a consummate insider who says he can bring unity and balance to government in a time of crisis. Their impact was huge,” said Independent Voting President Jackie Salit. “But no one should interpret this vote as a pledge of party allegiance. If anything, it’s a vote that says, ‘get us out of this partisan sinkhole.’”
Read the full article here.
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.