Each year in November, California and Texas lawmakers from across the political spectrum, industry leaders, and policy experts come together in Hawaii to discuss the biggest issues affecting voters, businesses, and policymakers during the Independent Voter Project’s (IVP) Business and Leadership Policy Conference.

Independent voters are often ignored by the media and pollsters. They are vilified by the major parties for not picking a side. Yet, in the 2022 midterms and in every election in recent history, independent voters have defined the outcomes.

The most critical movement right now in the US is to give voters an election system that is accountable, competitive, and free of corruption. Hundreds of organizations across the country are working toward meeting this goal, and many of the movement’s leaders met in December to celebrate victories and discuss next steps.

Editor's Note: This article, written by David Levins, originally published on The Fulcrum and has been re-published on IVN with permission from the publisher. Levine is an elections integrity fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, which develops strategies to deter and defend against autocratic efforts to interfere in democratic institutions.

Moore v Harper is the single most important case before the Supreme Court as it pertains to the future of the democratic process. The decision could allow state lawmakers to undo decades-worth of progress in unrigging elections.

While there’s lots of talk about “red waves” and “blue waves,” what really deserves the headlines is the “reform wave” that’s sweeping the country.

From coast to coast, election reform was on the ballot, and voters overwhelmingly supported it. Votes are still being counted in a number of states, but a few wins we already know:

Ranked Choice Voting was adopted by voters in Seattle, WA; Ojai, CA; Fort Collins, CO; Evanston, IL; Portland, ME; Portland, OR, and Multnomah County, Oregon. 

Editor's Note: This article originally published on The Fulcrum and has been republished on IVN with permission from the publisher.

Four years ago, when the nation headed to the polls in the middle of Donald Trump’s divisive term as president, half of eligible voters cast a ballot. Last week, preliminary data shows overall turnout was down a few percentage points. But some states saw an increase in voter participation.

The discussion in the national press over the last few days has centered around the two-sided Republican vs Democratic narrative. The biggest winners. The biggest losers. What happened with the polls?

For one side, the ultimate doomsday scenario has just happened, because the stakes of elections have gotten so high. Voters may end up hearing accusations of “rigged elections” similar in scope to the 2020 elections.

The momentum behind ranked choice voting continues to grow across the US and has spread to new states after several jurisdictions adopted its use in the 2022 elections.

RCV is the fastest growing nonpartisan electoral reform. It has been adopted and used in two states (Alaska and Maine), as well as over 50 cities and counties. In the 2022 election, it was used in 12 jurisdictions representing 4 million people.

As the midterm election results roll in, RCV campaigns have already declared victory in 6 cities and counties across the US:

An overwhelming majority of Arkansas voters rejected Issue 2 on the ballot Tuesday. The measure would have raised the minimum threshold to pass future state ballot initiatives to 60% of the vote, and no doubt would have deterred many future reform efforts in the state.

"We are extremely happy that Arkansans overwhelmingly defeated Issue 2 & kept power where it belongs - in the hands of voters,” said Bonnie Miller, chair of Protect AR Constitution.