Cara McCormick, principal at Smart Campaigns, advises on strategy and research. With 10+ years in major races, she led Maine’s historic move to ranked choice voting. Her work focuses on election reforms that improve representation and voter choice.
Cannabis
As President Donald Trump signals renewed interest in reclassifying cannabis from a Schedule I drug to Schedule III, a policy goal long championed by liberals and libertarians, the reaction among some partisan progressive advocates is not celebration, but concern.
Podcast
As IVN’s Shawn Griffiths travels to Miami to share hard-earned intel at the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers (NANR) conference, Chad and Cara focus on Washington, DC, where a 73 percent mandate for an open primary and ranked-choice voting is being slow-walked into something smaller and
Opinion
Independent Voter News is saddened to share the passing of Bob Foster, a trusted advisor to the Independent Voter Project and a longtime friend of our organization. He died on Sunday at the age of 78.
Election Reform
According to reporting from The Washington Informer and WUSA9 (CBS), D.C. Councilmember Wendell Felder (D Ward 7) has withdrawn his emergency legislation that would have required the D.C. Board of Elections (DCBOE) to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment before implementing ranked choice voting
Election Reform
The D.C. Council may delay the implementation of ranked choice voting (RCV), frustrating pro-democracy forces that understandably want the voter-approved law in place for next year’s elections.
Podcast
In this episode of the Independent Voter Podcast, Chad and Cara dive into the exploding world of political prediction markets with special guest Chris Gerlacher of Prediction News—unpacking how platforms like Kalshi and crypto-based markets are reshaping how insiders gauge races from California gove
Campaigns
As Congress and state legislatures debate how to safeguard veterans’ disability benefits, a fast-growing industry of for-profit claims consultants is pouring millions of dollars into lobbying and legal fights to preserve a business model that has become both enormously profitable and fiercely contro
Opinion
Politico published a story last week under the headline “Poll: Americans don’t just tolerate gerrymandering — they back it.” Still, a close review of the data shows the poll does not support that conclusion. The poll shows that Americans overwhelmingly prefer either an independent redistricting proc
Election Reform
A federal court has blocked Texas from using its newly approved congressional map, halting Republican efforts to add five seats that could have strengthened their majority in Washington.
Election Reform
A Utah state judge has struck down the congressional map drawn by Republican lawmakers, ruling that it violates the state’s voter-approved ban on partisan gerrymandering and ordering new district lines for the 2026 elections.
Cannabis
Nearly all hemp-derived THC products in the United States are set to become illegal in late 2026 under new legislation passed by the U.S. Senate. The measure, included within a series of government funding bills, changes the federal definition of hemp and effectively outlaws the wide range of intoxi
Election Reform
The Alaska Supreme Court is considering whether opponents of open primaries and ranked-choice voting broke state law when they funneled money through a Washington-based church to support a repeal campaign.