WHEN PARTIES HARM PROGRESS
The Perils Of Partisanship
"However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government..."
— George Washington, Farewell Address (1796)
As the Constitution was drafted, leaders like John Adams and Thomas Jefferson fiercely debated the dangers of political parties, warning that deep divisions could destabilize the young republic.
Despite those fears, a lasting two-party system emerged, dominated by Republicans and Democrats since the Civil War.
Today, a historic shift is underway. Independent voters now form the nation's largest bloc, rejecting rigid party loyalty for candidates and policies that tackle real concerns head-on.
INDEPENDENTS RISE ABOVE PARTISAN CHAOS
Americans have grown deeply skeptical of politics. Trust in government has fallen from 77% in 1964 to just 22% today, with independents feeling this distrust most acutely.
Seventy-seven percent of independents are angry about the country's direction, and 70% view both major parties as too extreme. Overall, 86% of Americans say the parties are focussed more on political wins solving problems.
Yet despite barriers and frustration, independents turned out in record numbers in 2024, adding 11 million more votes than in 2020. Their turnout reached 34%, matching Republicans and surpassing Democrats at 32%.
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENTS
More Americans, especially the young, are ditching party labels at registration, fed up with a system that serves partisans over people.
Independents demand transparent leaders who deliver real solutions on jobs, housing, and other priorities, borrowing smart ideas from both sides without blind loyalty.
Viewing both parties as extreme, they vote issue-by-issue and could force real change by bridging divides on healthcare, climate, guns, and more.
THE RISING INDEPENDENT MAJORITY
The Independent Forecast
Gallup polls show 45% of Americans self-identify as independents, up dramatically from 33% in 1988, making independents the clear plurality nationwide.
Both major parties are losing registrants: Democratic numbers have dropped sharply in recent years (accelerating post-2024), with Republicans experiencing slower erosion.
Young voters drive the surge: Over 50% of Gen Z and millennials identify as independents (per recent Gallup and Unite America data), with youth registrations showing the highest rates of rejecting party labels and fueling tomorrow's independent majority.
In states like Massachusetts (over 60%), Alaska (62%), and Colorado (nearly 50%), independents already form the clear majority proving we're not just growing, but a dominant force reshaping elections.
INDEPENDENT VOTERS ARE SPEAKING, WHO'S LISTENING?
The era of party dominance is waning, and the rise of independent voters marks a seismic shift in American politics, a wake-up call for candidates and parties to adapt or risk irrelevance.
Today, independent voters lead the charge. They are the swing voters and the key to our elections’ future.
By equipping them with knowledge, we strengthen democracy itself.
Only one in three independents believes their vote will make a difference, highlighting the need for greater engagement and recognition of their importance in the electoral landscape.
A WAKE-UP CALL FOR THE PARTIES
Candidates can no longer afford to overlook independent voters' growing influence. According to Axios research, “Every election since 2004, except 2012, has seen the White House, Senate, or House flip control. Antsy, unsatisfied independent voters are the reason.”
Since independent voters comprise the largest group in the electorate, they hold the power to shape the nation’s future, especially in close elections where less than three percentage points can often win each of the seven battleground “swing” states.
FAQ: Independent Voters Questions and Answers
Welcome to the Independent Times News FAQ! As independents make up a growing share of voters (over 45% in 2026), we're here to answer common questions about your role, voting rights, party systems, and ways to push for fairer elections.
All info is nonpartisan, sourced from trusted organizations and recent data.
An independent voter is someone not affiliated with a major political party (Democrat or Republican), often registering as "unaffiliated," "no party preference," or "independent." Independents prioritize issues over party loyalty, seeking moderation, accountability, and less partisanship. They make up about 45% of U.S. voters in 2026, up from 30% in 2000, driven by frustration with polarization, extremism, and gridlock. Many want to "take partisanship out of politics" by supporting reforms like open primaries and ranked-choice voting.
Independent Voters want broader representation, reduced big-money influence, and collaborative governance. As Jackie Salit explained in her 2012 TED Talk, independents signal a desire for nonpartisan solutions to fix a broken system.
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Watch: TED Talk by Jackie Salit
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Read the full Unite America report (2024): Growing Cohort of Independent Voters
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Independents aren't a monolith; most (about 80–90%) lean toward one major party when pressed but reject strict labels. In 2025–2026 data, independents break roughly 20% Democratic-leaning, 15% Republican-leaning, and 10% true non-leaners (pure independents). They often split tickets, vote issue-by-issue, and punish extremes. Younger independents (Gen Z/Millennials) show higher rates of independence (50%+).
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2025 Gallup data (record 45% independents): Gallup: New High of 45% Identify as Political Independents
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Historical context on leaners: Pew Research: Political Independents – Who They Are, What They Think
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Independent Voters prioritize practical, non-cultural-war issues: economy/inflation (top concern for ~41%), affordability (housing, family costs), immigration control, restoring competence/merit in government, and reducing polarization/big-money influence. They trust parties variably (e.g., Republicans on economy/immigration, Democrats on healthcare/abortion in some polls) but want bipartisanship and results over party loyalty.
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Recent polls on top issues: No Labels: What Do Independent Voters Care About? (Harvard CAPS-Harris data breakdown).
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Unite America research on independent priorities: Unite America: Growing Cohort of Independent Voters (trust splits by issue).
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Independent voters can advocate for changes that reduce extreme partisanship and give moderates/third parties a voice. Key actions include:
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Advocate for Open or Nonpartisan Primaries: Let all voters choose primary candidates... Learn More: Unite America - Open Primaries
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Support Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV): Rank candidates to ensure broad support... Learn More: FairVote - Ranked Choice Voting
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Push for Independent Redistricting Commissions: End gerrymandering with citizen-led maps... Learn More: Brennan Center - Redistricting
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Campaign for Proportional Representation: Seats based on vote share for diverse legislatures... Learn More: FairVote - Proportional Representation
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Demand Public Campaign Financing: Level the field with small-donation amplification... Learn More: Brennan Center - Campaign Finance Reform
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Promote Automatic Voter Registration: Auto-register at DMVs to increase moderate turnout... Learn More: Center for American Progress - Automatic Voter Registration?
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Encourage Bipartisan Candidates: Support independents/cross-party winners and community dialogues... Learn More: Forward Party – Endorsements
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Registering is easy and varies by state; most offer online, mail, or in-person options. You must be a U.S. citizen, 18+ (or turning 18 by Election Day), and meet state residency rules. Deadlines are typically 15–30 days before elections (e.g., October 2026 for November generals).
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Learn More: USA.gov Guide
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Official U.S. tool: Vote.gov: Register to Vote or Check Status (select your state for direct links).
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Step-by-step checker: USA.gov: Confirm Your Voter Registration Status (links to state portals).
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Fast 50-state tool: Vote.org: Am I Registered? (under 30 seconds to check).
The two major parties dominate U.S. politics, but Independents often feel unrepresented. Here's a neutral overview of their 2024 platforms.
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Republican Party (GOP) Platform: Focuses on "America First" with 20 promises like sealing the border, mass deportations, ending inflation, energy dominance, tax cuts for workers (no tax on tips), manufacturing revival, and reducing regulations. Emphasizes national security, school choice, and opposing "woke" policies.
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Key Points: Immigration crackdown, economic nationalism, military strength, and cultural conservatism.
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Learn More: Official 2024 Republican Party Platform
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Democratic Party Platform: Emphasizes "bottom-up, middle-out" growth, lowering costs for families (health care, child care, education), tax fairness (raise on wealthy/corporations), climate action, gun safety, restoring abortion rights, equity in education/wealth, and global alliances. Supports student debt relief, paid leave, and voting access.
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Key Points: Social investments, environmental protection, worker rights, and international leadership.
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Learn More: Official 2024 Democratic Party Platform
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Independents are frequently excluded from closed primaries (only party members vote), meaning millions can't help choose major-party nominees. This leads to more extreme candidates advancing, as low-turnout primaries are dominated by the most partisan voters.
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Key Facts: In the 2024 presidential primaries, 22 states held closed contests, locking out over 27 million voters not registered with a major party (~23.5 million independents + minor-party voters). Primary turnout averaged around 20% (often under 20% in many states), typically featuring the most ideologically polarized participants, which helps explain how polarized nominees emerge from both parties.
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Why Open Primaries Help: They let independents vote without joining a party, forcing candidates to appeal broadly, reducing extremism, and increasing moderation. In closed systems, independents are "locked out" while turnout stays low, amplifying extremes.
Watch for a clear explanation:
Other Resources:
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Short Explainer Video: YouTube Short on Open Primaries
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Locked Out Video: Independents Locked Out Explainer
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Learn More: Unite America X Post on Exclusion; Open Primaries Organization Mission; Florida Open Primaries
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Low Primary Turnout & Extremes: Unite America's Primary Problem
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Primary Systems Guide: Unite America: Types of Primary Systems Explained
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Ranked-choice voting (RCV), also known as instant-runoff voting, is a simple yet powerful election method that lets voters rank candidates in order of preference (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so on) instead of picking just one. Here's how it works:
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Voters mark their ballot by ranking as many or as few candidates as they want.
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First, all 1st-choice votes are counted. If a candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win immediately, just like in traditional elections.
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If no one reaches a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their supporters' ballots are redistributed to the voters' next-ranked choice (2nd preference).
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This "instant runoff" process repeats, eliminating the lowest vote-getter each round and transferring votes until one candidate has a true majority (over 50%) of the active votes.
Key Benefits, Especially for Independent Voters
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Reduces "spoiler" effects: You can vote sincerely for an independent or third-party candidate as your 1st choice without fear of "wasting" your vote or helping the candidate you like least; your ballot counts for your backup if needed.
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Encourages civility and broader appeal: Candidates must seek support beyond their base to earn 2nd- or 3rd-choice votes, leading to less negative campaigning and more focus on consensus-building.
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Boosts independent and third-party voices: By removing the "wasted vote" fear, RCV gives independents/third parties a fairer shot at winning or influencing outcomes, often resulting in more representative winners who reflect a true majority.
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Forces winners to appeal to at least 51%: Unlike plurality voting (where someone can win with 30–40% in a crowded field), RCV ensures the winner has broad support.
Learn More & See It in Action:
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FairVote: Ranked Choice Voting Overview, simple explainer with examples.
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Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center: What Is RCV? Clear basics and how-to.
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FairVote Video: Proportional Ranked Choice Voting Explained. Short visual on multi-winner forms (bonus for legislative races).
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Proportional representation (PR) allocates legislative seats based on the percentage of votes each party or group receives in multi-member districts, electing 3–10 representatives per district, rather than a single winner in single-member districts.
How It Works:
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Voters choose parties or candidates.
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Seats are divided proportionally: 30% of the vote gets roughly 30% of the seats.
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This contrasts with winner-take-all, where the top vote-getter takes 100% of the representation even with only 40% support, leaving many votes "wasted."
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Key Benefits for Independents
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Gives independents and third parties a realistic path to winning seats.
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Produces more diverse, representative legislatures that better reflect the full electorate.
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Reduces polarization by requiring broader coalitions and compromise.
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PR is standard in most democracies and is proposed in U.S. reforms (e.g., Fair Representation Act) to break two-party dominance.
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Learn More:
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True independents (not affiliated with Democrats or Republicans) remain rare in elected office due to the two-party dominance, ballot access barriers, and primary systems that favor party nominees. Most "independents" in office caucus with one major party for committee assignments and leadership. In the U.S. Congress (as of January 2026)
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U.S. Senate: 2 independents (both caucus with Democrats):
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Angus King (I-Maine) Serving since 2013; focuses on bipartisanship, national security, and rural issues.
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Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) Serving since 2007; known for progressive policies on healthcare, inequality, and workers' rights.
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U.S. House of Representatives: 0 true independents currently serving. The House has no independents in the 119th Congress (2025–2027 session), with all 435 seats held by Democrats (213), Republicans (218), and 4 vacancies as of early 2026. Independents face steep challenges in winner-take-all districts.
At the State and Local Levels, Independents and minor-party officials are more common here, though still a small fraction of the ~7,300 state legislators and tens of thousands of local offices. Examples include:
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State Legislatures: A handful of independents serve in states like Alaska (coalition governments often include independents), Vermont, and Maine (where multi-member districts and ranked-choice voting help). Recent additions include figures like Emily Buss (Forward Party, Utah Senate District 11, 2025) and others in the Northern Mariana Islands or Mississippi.
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Local Offices: Independents win mayoral or council seats more frequently (e.g., Yemi Mobolade as mayor of Colorado Springs in 2023, or ongoing independent bids in cities like Detroit or smaller towns). Nonpartisan local races often elect independents without party labels.
Learn More on Federal Independents:
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America is unique among major democracies for its two-party dominance at the national level; third parties rarely win due to "winner-take-all" systems and barriers like ballot access.
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Are third-party votes "wasted"? No, they signal demand for alternatives and can influence major parties (e.g., Perot's deficit focus in 1992). But in winner-take-all, they risk "spoiler" effects without ranked-choice voting.
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Watch: Why Third Parties Struggle
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Major Third Parties in 2026: Libertarian (focus: limited government, individual rights); Green (environment, social justice); Constitution (conservative, constitutionalism); Forward (centrist, anti-polarization); others like Reform or No Labels.
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Learn More: Ballotpedia List
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Watch: Top 5 Overview
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Learn More: Wikipedia Performances
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Yes, in 44–48 states (depending on exact definitions), "sore loser" laws prevent candidates who lose a primary from running in the general election as independents, on another party's ticket, or via cross-filing. The goal is to avoid vote-splitting and protect party nominees, but critics argue that they limit voter choice and shield party insiders.
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How they work: Most states ban primary losers from appearing on the general ballot under a new label, often through explicit prohibitions or early filing deadlines.
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Recent examples:
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Andrew Cuomo & Eric Adams (2025 NYC mayor race): Cuomo lost the Democratic primary and ran as an independent in the general; Adams switched to independent amid challenges, both of which were possible because New York has no strict sore loser restriction (Adams later withdrew).
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Greg Lopez (former CO Rep.): Switched from Republican to unaffiliated/independent in late 2025 for a 2026 governor run.
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Classic blocked case: Don Blankenship (2018 WV Senate): Lost GOP primary, tried Constitution Party but disqualified under WV law.
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Supporters say they prevent chaos and maintain party integrity.
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Critics say they suppress competition and options.
Learn More:
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Ballotpedia: Sore Loser Laws by State. State-by-state breakdown (updated 2025).
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GovFacts Explainer: Hidden Gatekeepers – Ballot Access and Sore Loser Laws. Overview of how they limit choices.
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Wikipedia: Sore Loser Law. Includes recent applications.
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The U.S. Constitution doesn't explicitly grant a universal "right to vote" but outlines election frameworks and prohibits certain restrictions through amendments. States hold primary authority, with federal oversight to ensure fairness.
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Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 (Elections Clause): "The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of choosing Senators."
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Purpose: Gives states control over federal election logistics (dates, polling sites, procedures), but allows Congress to intervene (e.g., via laws like the Voting Rights Act).
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Learn More: Constitution Annotated
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Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 (Presidential Elections): "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors..."
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Purpose: Creates the Electoral College; states decide how electors are chosen (usually by popular vote).
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Learn More: Constitution Annotated
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The Bill of Rights (first 10 amendments) doesn't directly address voting, but later amendments prohibit discrimination. Key expansions came post-Civil War and during the Civil Rights era.
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15th Amendment (1870): Prohibits denying the vote based on race, color, or previous servitude. Enacted after the Civil War to protect African Americans, but enforcement was weak until later laws.
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19th Amendment (1920): Prohibits denying the vote based on sex, securing women's suffrage.
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24th Amendment (1964): Bans poll taxes in federal elections.
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26th Amendment (1971): Lowers voting age to 18.
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Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA): Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, this landmark law enforced the 15th Amendment by outlawing discriminatory practices like literacy tests and poll taxes in Southern states. It required "preclearance" for changes in voting rules in areas with discrimination histories and boosted Black voter turnout dramatically. Though weakened by Supreme Court rulings (e.g., 2013 Shelby County v. Holder), it's considered the most effective civil rights legislation.
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Watch: Explainer Video
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Learn More: Brennan Center; National Archives
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Supporting: volunteering, donating small amounts, spreading awareness, or endorsing via groups like the Forward Party. Running: Ballot access varies by state. Independents often need petitions (with thousands of signatures and early deadlines), filing fees, or assembly rules. It's challenging due to sore-loser laws and high barriers, but possible (e.g., collect signatures equal to a % of past votes). Start with your state's election office.
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Ballot access overview: Ballotpedia: Ballot Access for Presidential Candidates (detailed state-by-state requirements, adaptable to other races).
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General guide to running independently: Vote Smart / General Ballot Access Info (practical steps).
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Resources for independents: Forward Party Endorsements (for candidate support).
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Ready to stop feeling ignored and start making a difference?