The last couple of weeks have been eventful for independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr, who may not have been invited to the CNN presidential debate but continues to rack up ballot access victories across the US.
Editor's Note: The following opinion piece was written by Kevin Johnson of the Election Reformers Network. It originally published on The Fulcrum and was re-published on IVN with permission from the publisher. Photo by the Unsplash+ Community.
In a system that was designed to perpetuate a zero-sum contest between two sides, the stakes get higher each election cycle to convince people they have to cast their ballot a certain way “or else.”
Gallup generally finds that independent voter ID falls between 40 to 50 percent of the electorate. However, 4 months out from November, the latest numbers show 51% of Americans now identify as independent of the two major parties.
In 2022, Alaska voters used a new election system that changed the way state voters thought about elections.
It goes without saying that the District of Columbia is a one-party town. Out of the 13 seats that compose the DC City Council, 11 are held by Democrats, and the other two are held by officials registered as independent.
Imagine this: A general election with no negative campaigning and four or five viable candidates (regardless of party affiliation) competing based on their own personal ideas and actions — not simply their level of obstruction or how well they demonize their opponents.
"It was a sad day for the country." Many voters have shared this exact sentiment in the days following the June 27 CNN presidential debate.
A DC campaign has collected more than 40,000 signatures to put an initiative on the city’s ballot that would open primary elections to independent voters and implement ranked choice voting in all District elections.
By the end of 2023, the average percentage of Americans that self-identified as independent was at 43%, which tied a record high set in 2017. However, even in an election year, this percentage isn't dropping.