Shows / 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…
Episodes
Independent Voter PodcastMIDTERMS: Will Talarico Take TEXAS? El-Sayed v. Rogers, Collins v. Jackson - EP65
Six days before the consequential midterm races and no one knows what will happen. Except us. We make our predictions on Senate races in Texas, Michigan…
Independent Voter PodcastThe Two-Party System CONTROLS Our Elections. It’s Time to FIGHT BACK (John Opdycke) - EP64
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…
Independent Voter PodcastCalifornia’s Election Will Be DECIDED by These Voters (NOT Who You Think) - EP63
California’s elections are right around the corner, and IVP's own polling proves that independents are the voters with the power to control the outcome…
Independent Voter PodcastHow Trump’s LA Bombing “Troll” EXPOSES Our Broken Elections (Politics Explained) - EP62
A Trump rally clip has Los Angeles and San Diego in the crosshairs, and the most shocking part is that the crowd was cheering. Cara, Shawn, and Ethan break…
Independent Voter PodcastThe Veteran Suing New York for the Right to Vote (Paul Rieckhoff) - EP61
Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Independent Veterans of America and now the face of a growing independent-veteran movement, just became the lead plaintiff in a…
Independent Voter PodcastTrump & Mamdani Agree on This One Issue (NOT What You Think) - EP60
Trump and Zohran Mamdani just had round two at Gracie Mansion, all smiles and charm. The IVP crew says the real story isn't the photo op, it's the primary…
Independent Voter PodcastHow California's Top-Two Primary Puts DSA vs. Democrats to the Test (Steve Peace) - EP59
California's top-two primary was built for exactly this moment: DSA-backed Democrats facing off against the party's moderate wing in front of the entire…
Independent Voter PodcastHow Trump's Own Mail-In Voting Rule Could BACKFIRE on Republicans - EP58
The fight over President Trump’s mail-in voting rule continues to escalate: a whistleblower leak says just one bad envelope could get an entire batch of…
Independent Voter PodcastThe Democratic Party Told Him To DROP OUT. He Said No. (Antonio Villaraigosa) - EP57
When the polls said two Republicans might take the top two spots, California Democratic Party leadership went to work getting Democrats out of the governor's…
Independent Voter PodcastThe TRUTH About Trump’s New USPS Ballot Rule (It’s Complicated) - EP56
President Trump just handed the Postal Service veto power over your mail-in ballot, and Chad and Cara can't agree on whether that's chaos, overreach, or both…
Independent Voter PodcastFrom Bartender to Bush’s War Room & 50 Years in GOP Politics (Anne Dunsmore) - EP55
Anne Dunsmore has been in the room for nearly 50 years of American politics, and it all started because she lost a bet in a D.C. bar. She sits down with Chad…
Independent Voter PodcastBorder Patrol STOPPED Her: Becoming a US Citizen LEGALLY is Harder Than Ever - EP54
IVP's own producer just became a U.S. citizen, and she's sitting down with Chad and Cara to talk about what it actually took, and what it felt like the moment…
Independent Voter PodcastWhy Rick Bennett Left the GOP to Run for Governor of Maine (NOT What You Think) - EP53
Rick Bennett climbed to the top of Maine's Republican Party - President of the Senate - and now he's running for governor without a party at all. His reasoning…
Independent Voter PodcastElon Musk's $1.5 Million Attack on Ranked Choice Voting in Alaska - EP52
Elon Musk just quietly put $1.5 million behind a network aimed at killing Alaska's top-four open primary. The kicker: the same measure would repeal the…
Independent Voter PodcastMissouri Voters Crushed a Partisan Power Grab - the State Blocked Them Anyway - EP51
Missouri voters showed up and shut down the legislature's attempt to gut citizen initiatives - and then, hours before polls closed, the Secretary of State went…
Independent Voter Podcast27 Years in Uniform, Now Running Against BOTH Parties in Oregon (Jason Faler) - EP50
A 27-year Army officer with three deployments looked at Congress and decided the problem wasn't which party was winning - it was that both of them were. So…
Independent Voter PodcastThe First REAL Working-Class Senator? Troy Jackson Explained - EP49
Everyone's calling Troy Jackson the establishment's safe replacement for Graham Platner. Here's the thing: Jackson has defied Democratic Party leadership more…
Independent Voter PodcastThey're ERASING 71% of the Vote: How Maine Democrats Replace Graham Platner - EP48
Graham Platner won Maine's Democratic Senate primary with 71% of the vote and record turnout - and none of it matters anymore. Cara, Shawn, and Ethan break…
Independent Voter PodcastWhy Latino Voters Backed Trump - Then Mamdani (NOT What You Think) | Mike Madrid - EP47
The same young Latino voters who swung to Donald Trump in 2024 just handed New York to Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani - and no, they haven't changed their…
Independent Voter PodcastTRUTH: 40% of NYC Democrats Aren't Really Democrats | Jeremy Gruber - EP46
We sit down with Jeremy, Senior VP of Open Primaries, to dig into a new IVP/Open Primaries poll of registered NYC Democrats - and what it reveals is wild…
Independent Voter PodcastShe Quit Her Party. Then She Couldn't Vote. | Lisa Rice. - EP45
Lisa D.T. Rice, the driving force behind DC's Initiative 83 to permit ranked choice voting and open primaries, joins the show to explain how a missing ballot…
Independent Voter PodcastTrump Says Fraud. Here's What ACTUALLY Happened in California. - EP44
This week, Chad, Shawn, and Cara break down the five-day vote count that knocked Spencer Pratt out of the LA mayoral runoff - and why "fraud" is the wrong…
Independent Voter PodcastCritics PROVED WRONG About the “Top-Two” Primary in California (It WORKS) - EP43
Fresh off the California gubernatorial primary, Chad, Cara, and Ethan break down why the "top-two will produce two Republicans" narrative was a manufactured…
Independent Voter PodcastHow Party Insiders KILLED Florida's Open Primary (57% of Voters Said YES) - EP42
57% of Floridians voted to open their primaries. They still lost. Chad Peace and Cara McCormick sit down with Political No Brainer host Jeff Rabinowitz to…
Independent Voter PodcastDemocrats and MAGA Are Working Together on THIS (Not What You Expect) - EP41
You'd think Democrats and MAGA Republicans agree on nothing - but they just quietly teamed up to do one specific thing: shut 7 million California independent…
Independent Voter PodcastThe Bipartisan Plot to Lock 6.2 Million California Voters Out of Elections. - EP40
Chad, Cara, and Shawn break down the brewing bipartisan campaign to repeal California's Top Two primary - exactly the move IVP has been predicting for months…
Independent Voter PodcastThe TRUTH About California's "Jungle" Primary (Democrats are WRONG) - EP39
Cara and Shawn break down the manufactured "jungle primary" panic out of California (there's roughly an 8% chance of a two-Republican general), then get into…
Independent Voter PodcastCalifornia Governor Debate BRUTAL Reaction: "Playing Their Cartoon Selves" EP38
Cara McCormick sits down with former California state senator Steve Peace - author of the Top Two primary law - to react to the California governor's race…
Independent Voter PodcastThe Swalwell COVER-UP: How California's "Open Secret" Finally Exploded (He Dropped Out) - EP37
Eric Swalwell went from Democratic frontrunner in the California governor's race to political exile in a matter of days - and somehow nobody in Washington is…
Independent Voter PodcastWhy California's Governor Race Is a Trap for Both Parties (Trump Endorses Hilton) - EP36
Breaking down Steve Hilton's Trump endorsement, why two Republicans advancing is never going to happen, and how Democrats may be using that fake threat to…
Independent Voter PodcastTrump is Building a FEDERAL Voter List: Should YOU Be Scared? - EP35
Trump just signed an executive order directing DHS to build a federal voter list and instructing the USPS to only deliver ballots to "verified" voters. Legal…
Independent Voter PodcastSheriff Seizes 650,000 Ballots - While Running for California Governor!? - EP34
This week on the Independent Voter Podcast, California sheriff Chad Bianco seizes 650,000 ballots while running for governor, the Supreme Court takes on…
Independent Voter PodcastYour 5-Hour Airport Wait is Congress’s Fault: THIS is How We Fix It. - EP33
What happens when only a small percentage of voters actually decide elections? TSA delays and government shutdowns. This is the end result of a political…
Independent Voter PodcastThe Federal Voter ID Bill Is Designed to Fail. Here's Why. - EP32
Most Americans support voter ID, so why is this fight so explosive? It’s simple: the two-party system keeps turning a broadly popular reform into a…
Independent Voter PodcastIs American Democracy for Sale? The Fight to End Citizens United with Tiffany Muller. - EP31
Money in politics isn't just a talking point - it's reshaping every policy outcome in Washington. This week, Chad and Cara sit down with Tiffany Muller…
Independent Voter PodcastHow James Talarico Won Over Independents Amid Texas Primary Chaos - EP30
James Talarico wins Texas’ Democratic Senate primary as campaigns point to unusually high independent participation in the state’s open primary…
Independent Voter PodcastVoter ID Is Popular. Trust Isn’t. The Catch in Trump’s SOTU Push - EP29
Tune in for our independent breakdown of Trump’s record-length 2026 State of the Union: voter ID + proof of citizenship, immigration rhetoric…
Independent Voter PodcastAre Parties Using Election Rules to Control You? Voter ID, Texas Primaries & the FCC Power Grab - EP28
Are election rules protecting voters or protecting parties? Chad Peace and Cara McCormick break down voter ID laws, Texas Republicans shutting out…
Independent Voter Podcast83% Want Voter ID - So Why Is Congress Fighting It? SAVE Act Explained - EP27
The House just passed the SAVE America Act - national voter ID + proof of citizenship to register. On the Independent Voter Podcast, we unpack what’s in…
Independent Voter PodcastFraud & Waste Red Flags in Public Education: Inside “Failure Factory” | Chris Papst. - EP26
Emmy-winning investigative reporter Chris Papst (Project Baltimore) unpacks Failure Factory: soaring Baltimore City Public Schools budgets, stagnant outcomes…
Independent Voter PodcastHow the “Politics Industry” Breaks Everything: ICE, CA Governor’s Race & Reform | Steve Peace - EP25
Steve Peace, co-founder of the Independent Voter Project and architect of California’s top-two primary, breaks down the wide-open CA governor’s…
Independent Voter PodcastDoes the 4th Amendment Apply to Everyone? ICE, Warrants, and Constitutional Rights - EP24
Does the 4th Amendment protect only U.S. citizens - or everyone on U.S. soil? Chad and Cara dig into warrants, search-and-seizure limits, and how immigration…
Independent Voter PodcastCan “Aggressive Civility” Fix Politics? The Polarization Problem - EP23
Political strategist and writer Gregory Graf joins the Independent Voter Podcast to break down Idaho’s semi-closed primaries, rising outside PAC money…
Independent Voter PodcastHas ICE Gone Too Far in Minnesota? EXPOSING Partisan Narratives - EP22
A viral question - “Has ICE gone too far?” - turns into a deep dive on immigration enforcement after the Minneapolis shooting of Renee Nicole Good…
Independent Voter PodcastWhy Is California So Stuck? What New Independent Voter Poll Reveals - EP21
Ever wonder why independent voters keep getting sidelined, even as their numbers grow? IVP just conducted the largest-ever survey of California independent…
Independent Voter PodcastWhy Did Walz Drop Out? Daycare Fraud & Chaos in Minnesota - EP20
Wondering how a major political figure walks away from power, and what that says about the system behind the scenes? This episode unpacks Tim Walz’s…
Independent Voter PodcastHow Gavin Newsom’s Prop 50 is Reshaping California - For Better or For Worse - EP19
Prop 50 is redrawing California’s political battlefield, sparking new fears of gerrymandering, backroom mapmaking, and voters losing their voice. We cut…
Independent Voter PodcastTrump, Cannabis & the Progressive Left’s Freakout Over the Marijuana Issue - EP18
Host Chad Peace and co-host Cara McCormick dive into the left’s political freak-out over Trump potentially rescheduling cannabis — and what it…
Independent Voter PodcastThe Games Politicians Play After Voters Pass Election Reforms - EP17
Pro-democracy activists don’t just need to win reforms at the ballot box; they have to stay in the battle to keep their initiatives from being torn apart…
Independent Voter PodcastBetting on Democracy: Prediction Markets, Polls & the Independent Voter Uprising - EP16
In this episode of the Independent Voter Podcast, Chad and Cara dive into the exploding world of political prediction markets with special guest Chris…
Independent Voter PodcastBallrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York - EP15
Is New York about to elect a “communist,” or just a democratic socialist with better ground game? Cara McCormick and Chad Peace rip into a wild…
Independent Voter PodcastMissouri Voted for Legal Cannabis. Now Gas Station Weed Is Undermining the Whole System - EP14
Missouri voters approved legal cannabis twice - first for medical use, then for recreational use in 2022. But as Dave Craig, VP of Marketing for legal cannabis…
Independent Voter PodcastCalifornia Democrats and Texas Republicans Keep Copying Each Other - EP13
Breakdown: The rules of American democracy continue to bend toward partisan agendas. In California, independent redistricting commissioner J. Ray Kennedy, a…
Independent Voter PodcastBeyond the Viral Katie Porter Clip: What California’s Governor Race Says About Voter Choice - EP12
Hosts Chad Peace and Cara McCormick use the viral Katie Porter clip as a case study in how election rules shape campaigns and coalitions in California. They…
Independent Voter PodcastEric Bronner and 7,000 Veterans for All Voters Lead a National Oath Challenge - EP11
If you are into independent politics and don’t know Eric Bronner, you should. A former veteran, Eric Bronner is one of the 60% of veterans that…
Independent Voter PodcastDivided Realities, Broken Systems: Can We Heal American Democracy? - EP10
The assassination of Charlie Kirk shocked the nation and exposed just how divided our political realities have become. In this episode, Chad Peace and Cara…
Independent Voter PodcastYour Right to Vote: Is It Really Meaningful? - EP9
The national conversation focuses on the wars being waged by the Republicans and Democrats, against each other. But what about the rights of voters? In this…
Independent Voter PodcastGerrymandering: Who Loses the Most Seats in the Race to the Bottom? - EP8
In this conversation, Chad and Cara delve into the complexities of gerrymandering, exploring its partisan nature and the implications for independent voters…
Independent Voter PodcastIntoxicating Hemp: How Kids are Getting High and Hospitalized in 2025 | Chris Casacchia - EP7
Think hemp products are harmless just because they’re legal? Think again. In this episode of the How It Really Works series of the Independent Voter…
Independent Voter PodcastThe Silence Crisis in Corrections | Michael Cantrell - EP6
Think the justice system only affects the incarcerated? Think again. In this episode of the How It Really Works series of the Independent Voter Podcast, Chad…