Jack Santucci (@jacksantucci.bsky.social)

Alan Greenblatt had a good piece last week on independents, national-level third parties, and recent developments in election reform. I am quoted at the end.

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CQ Researcher - Third Parties and Independent Voters Many American voters are unhappy with their choices. A near majority of Americans now identify as independents, rather than as Democrats or Republicans, although many such unaffiliated voters consistently support one side or the other. Large majorities say the nation needs an alternative to both major parties. However, fewer are willing to vote for third party or independent candidates, who typically fare poorly at the ballot box. Many states have erected high hurdles that make getting on the ballot difficult. Even an effort by billionaire Elon Musk to establish a new party barely got off the ground. Voters who no longer feel at home in their traditional party are afraid of “wasting” votes on independent candidates for fear that might throw the election to the other major party. To address such concerns, advocates are pushing for methods, such as ranked-choice voting, that could offer citizens more choices, but such efforts are now drawing political pushback on the grounds that they cause confusion. https://cqpress.sagepub.com/cqresearcher/report/third-parties-and-independent-voters-cqresrre20260206