Open Primaries founder John Opdycke joins Chad Peace and Cara McCormick for a wide-ranging, no-bs conversation on where the reform movement actually stands, starting with Pennsylvania's open primary fight and then asking the question: are presidential primaries even elections in the first place?

John Opdycke breaks down why 48% of Americans now identify as independent and still have no real seat at the table, then walks through Pennsylvania's Senate Bill 400 (stuck in committee despite Governor Josh Shapiro's endorsement and a bipartisan House vote). Cara and John trade war stories from Maine and Oregon, including the 2014 top-two measure that got "wiped out" 65-35 and the hard lessons that shaped Maine's later ranked choice voting win, while Chad connects it back to California's Prop 14 and the simple turnout trick that got it passed. 

Independent Voter Podcast now has its own YouTube channel! If you enjoy these conversations, subscribe to our dedicated channel for full episodes, interviews, and future content: https://youtube.com/@IndependentVoterPodcast

Listen to more episodes and read in-depth coverage at:

https://ivn.us

https://independentvoterproject.org

Follow and subscribe on audio platforms:

https://open.spotify.com/show/1VnqtqjZh9EbmDtVxvHF3R

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/independent-voter-podcast/id1680559155

Chapters:

00:00:00 – "Two warring tribes": who John Opdycke is

00:04:19 – Pennsylvania's lawsuit and open primaries as a voting rights issue

00:09:08 – Maine won ranked choice and still has closed primaries

00:12:09 – Why Alaska keeps fighting and Maine doesn't

00:15:04 – Throwing money in a furnace: Oregon 2014 and what Cara learned

00:19:02 – How Prop 14 won, and the money that changes nothing

00:23:47 – 2028: an independents primary, and where they disagree

00:29:14 – Presidential primaries are polls, not elections

00:32:55 – John's last word: independents getting back in the game

 

Open Primaries founder John Opdycke joins Chad Peace and Cara McCormick for a wide-ranging, no-bs conversation on where the reform movement actually stands, starting with Pennsylvania's open primary fight and then asking the question: are presidential primaries even elections in the first place?
John Opdycke breaks down why 48% of Americans now identify as independent and still have no real seat at the table, then walks through Pennsylvania's Senate Bill 400 (stuck in committee despite Governor Josh Shapiro's endorsement and a bipartisan House vote). Cara and John trade war stories from Maine and Oregon, including the 2014 top-two measure that got "wiped out" 65-35 and the hard lessons that shaped Maine's later ranked choice voting win, while Chad connects it back to California's Prop 14 and the simple turnout trick that got it passed.&nbsp;
Independent Voter Podcast now has its own YouTube channel! If you enjoy these conversations, subscribe to our dedicated channel for full episodes, interviews, and future content: <a href="https://youtube.com/@IndependentVoterPodcast">https://youtube.com/@IndependentVoterPodcast</a>
Listen to more episodes and read in-depth coverage at:
<a href="https://ivn.us">https://ivn.us</a>
<a href="https://independentvoterproject.org">https://independentvoterproject.org</a>
Follow and subscribe on audio platforms:
<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1VnqtqjZh9EbmDtVxvHF3R">https://open.spotify.com/show/1VnqtqjZh9EbmDtVxvHF3R</a>
<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/independent-voter-podcast/id1680559155">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/independent-voter-podcast/id1680559155</a>
Chapters:
00:00:00 &ndash; "Two warring tribes": who John Opdycke is
00:04:19 &ndash; Pennsylvania's lawsuit and open primaries as a voting rights issue
00:09:08 &ndash; Maine won ranked choice and still has closed primaries
00:12:09 &ndash; Why Alaska keeps fighting and Maine doesn't
00:15:04 &ndash; Throwing money in a furnace: Oregon 2014 and what Cara learned
00:19:02 &ndash; How Prop 14 won, and the money that changes nothing
00:23:47 &ndash; 2028: an independents primary, and where they disagree
00:29:14 &ndash; Presidential primaries are polls, not elections
00:32:55 &ndash; John's last word: independents getting back in the game
&nbsp;

Tired of being told what to think by partisan gatekeepers? So are we.
The Independent Voter Podcast brings you conversations that challenge the two-party echo chamber and reject the false binaries dominating today’s political narratives. We focus on two things:
 (1) Election reforms that increase real competition and voter choice, and
 (2) Policy issues that defy the black-and-white frameworks set by national party agendas.

We’ve been called everything: liberals, undercover Republicans, progressives, socialists, libertarians—even anarchists. And depending on the article, they’re all true.
We are open to any voice that follows our simple etiquette. If you believe political independence is a mindset, not a middle ground, you’re in the right place.
This the Independent Voter Podcast..

Tired of being told what to think by partisan gatekeepers? So are we. The Independent Voter Podcast brings you conversations that challenge the two-party echo chamber and reject the false binaries dominating today&rsquo;s political narratives. We focus on two things: &nbsp;(1)&nbsp;Election reforms that increase real competition and voter choice, and &nbsp;(2)&nbsp;Policy issues that defy the black-and-white frameworks set by national party agendas.
We&rsquo;ve been called everything: liberals, undercover Republicans, progressives, socialists, libertarians&mdash;even anarchists. And depending on the article, they&rsquo;re all true. We are open to any voice that follows our simple etiquette. If you believe political independence is a mindset, not a middle ground, you&rsquo;re in the right place. This the Independent Voter Podcast..

Independent Voter Podcast

Tired of being told what to think by partisan gatekeepers? So are we.
The Independent Voter Podcast brings you conversations that challenge the two-party echo chamber and reject the false binaries dominating today’s political narratives. We focus on two things:
 (1) Election reforms that increase real competition and voter choice, and
 (2) Policy issues that defy the black-and-white frameworks set by national party agendas.

We’ve been called everything: liberals, undercover Republicans, progressives, socialists, libertarians—even anarchists. And depending on the article, they’re all true.
We are open to any voice that follows our simple etiquette. If you believe political independence is a mindset, not a middle ground, you’re in the right place.
This the Independent Voter Podcast.

Tired of being told what to think by partisan gatekeepers? So are we. The Independent Voter Podcast brings you conversations that challenge the two-party echo chamber and reject the false binaries dominating today&rsquo;s political narratives. We focus on two things: &nbsp;(1)&nbsp;Election reforms that increase real competition and voter choice, and &nbsp;(2)&nbsp;Policy issues that defy the black-and-white frameworks set by national party agendas.
We&rsquo;ve been called everything: liberals, undercover Republicans, progressives, socialists, libertarians&mdash;even anarchists. And depending on the article, they&rsquo;re all true. We are open to any voice that follows our simple etiquette. If you believe political independence is a mindset, not a middle ground, you&rsquo;re in the right place. This the Independent Voter Podcast.