John --

Good news for Forwardists: our ranks are growing. In a Quinnipiac University poll, 35% of respondents identified as politically independent and 12% as “other,” for a total of 47%. That compares to 26% as Republicans and 27% as Democrats. Other positive signs: the success of ranked-choice voting initiatives and more moderate, independent-minded candidates in the midterm elections last month. “I don’t think we can predict how the growing disenchantment with the two incumbent parties will ultimately play out,” says Bill King, the author of  “Unapologetically Moderate” and a co-chair of FWD Texas. “But independent voters are sending a message loud and clear. The status quo is not acceptable.”

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema quitting the Democratic Party last week and joining the burgeoning rolls of independent Americans was more evidence of change. Though Sinema may have her own reasons—and is not likely to spark a mass exodus—her announcement made waves in the party. Worried consultants are now urging Democrats to "tolerate" the less progressive members of the party who are "reflective of their broader constituents and not only those who cater to the activists that dominate the base.” That hasn’t kept some Democrats from openly celebrating Sinema’s departure. No lessons learned there.

The view on the right isn’t much better. Still licking its wounds from its underwhelming performance in the midterms, the GOP remains mired in the very ideology that has cost it so dearly at the ballot box. “If you look at state party organizations, it’s the MAGA strain of Republicanism that’s become dominant,” says former RNC chair Michael Steele. The post-midterm recriminations are a sign that dissent is growing, he says, but, short of an indictment, there’s little evidence yet that the party has meaningfully moved on from Donald Trump. In other words, same old, same old on the other side too. 

So what’s left for two desperate parties that are divided against themselves and devoid of ideas and fresh leadership? Using tried-and-true tactics to limit choices and keep people from voting—gerrymandering, closed primaries, and…an election police force? Yup. It’s not just for Florida anymore.

• Texas Republicans propose a Florida-style election police force as it tees up more changes to voting laws —NBC News

• Supreme Court could open door to more gerrymandering for Democrats —Bloomberg

• Steve Brawner: Closing the primary for which all taxpayers foot the bill —Magnolia Reporter

• Tom Kacich: Another big win for gerrymandering —The News-Gazette

• How democracy nearly died in Wisconsin —Mother Jones
  
  

OTHER NEWS & VIEWS

Wines: The election is over. The party power struggle is not. 
“[J]ockeying for power always goes on beneath the radar of most voters. But in the wake of more direct attacks on democracy by insurrectionists at the U.S. Capitol and by election deniers in last month's vote, the divergent legislative priorities of the two parties—and particularly Republican reliance on restrictive voting measures and supercharged gerrymanders—reflect what has become a ceaseless tug of war over the rules of American politics and governance.” —Michael Wines in The Buffalo News 

Georgia considers voting changes
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has proposed new changes to the state's voting rules that could benefit voters and third-party candidates. Currently, Georgia is one of only two states that require runoff elections if no candidate receives a majority, a system that not only is inconvenient to voters but also costs the state millions to conduct a second election. Raffensperger will petition the state legislature with three proposals—one to force large counties to open more early voting locations, another that would lower the vote total needed to avoid a runoff from 50% to 45%, and a third to use ranked-choice voting for future elections. The "instant runoff" system would eliminate the need to hold a runoff election at a later date. —Reason

DeWitt: We can’t ignore the power of Gen Z.
“We must invest in the youth vote, and we have to start today. We should put their issues front and center: fight against voter suppression and for pro-voter policies, and fund year-round voter registration, education, and mobilization efforts. Every day, roughly 11,000 young people in the U.S. turn 18 and become eligible to vote. Between today and the 2024 presidential election, approximately 8 million more young people will be able to vote. Any party, campaign, donor, or organization failing to organize young people is already behind.” —Carolyn DeWitt in The Hill

Americans of all ages have made it abundantly clear: they believe in our democracy, and they’re understandably fed up with the duopoly that has pushed it to the brink. Forward is on their side. The future is independent, and it’s already here.

All the best,
The Forward Party Team

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