Editor's Note: This op-ed originally published on The Fulcrum. It was written by Henry Murray, a student at Tufts University from Lawrenceville, New Jersey. He is entering his junior year and studying international relations. The piece was republished on IVN with permission from the publisher. 

New York City held primary elections on Tuesday, June 27, for city council and other municipal offices. NYC primaries are unique compared to most primary elections in the US in that they use ranked choice voting ballots and while RCV advocates tout the benefits it has on city elections -- they’re benefits only party members can enjoy...........

Arlington County, Virginia held its first ranked choice voting elections on Tuesday, June 20, during the Democratic primary for county board -- and many voters appear to approve of the new voting method. 

The Washington Post ran a headline two days ahead of the primary that read, "Virginia's first ranked choice voting election is vexing some Arlington voters." Yet, reports on election day show that the process was smooth for the majority of people. 

In his most recent podcast, former presidential candidate and Foward Party Founder Andrew Yang sat down with Citizen Data CEO Mindy Finn to discuss what voters really want, according to the data -- and what the data shows is voters want better elections.

Thursday, June 8, marked 13 years since California voters approved Proposition 14, the nonpartisan top-two (Top-Two) initiative authored by the Independent Voter Project (IVP).

New Mexico elections have long been plagued by a lack of competition and unequal treatment of voters who choose not to affiliate with a political party. Yet, according to New Mexico Open Elections, the political landscape is shifting in the favor of nonpartisan reform.

Independent voters are not allowed to participate in taxpayer-funded primary elections, despite the fact that these elections are almost always the most critical stage of the electoral process. Legislative districts are so safe for one party or the other that half the seats go uncontested.

Independent and third-party efforts are no strangers to attacks in the media and from party elites. The latest victim of an organized takedown of a challenger to the two parties has been No Labels, the centrist group organizing a 2024“Presidential Unity Ticket” to offer independent and moderate voters an alternative to the likely Democratic and Republican nominees: Joe Biden and Donald Trump. 

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