Independents Are The Biggest Voting Bloc In The Country. Will Congress Grant Them Full Voting Rights?

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On the first day of the 119th Congress, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Jared Golden (D-ME), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), re-introduced the Let America Vote Act (LAVA), which would abolish closed primaries nationwide, ensure every eligible voter’s right to participate in every taxpayer-funded election, and prohibit noncitizens from casting ballots in federal elections.

Unite America Executive Director Nick Troiano issued the following statement in support of the bill:

“Democrats and Republicans spend billions each presidential election courting independent voters, who they know decide competitive races. But once the general election is over, both parties ignore and even actively exclude them — despite the fact that they now make up a majority of the country. It is outrageous that tens of millions of voters lack the right to vote in primaries because they choose not to affiliate with a party. Not only is it wrong, it’s bad politics.”

“Congress has the opportunity to right this wrong by passing the Let America Vote Act, which would immediately grant 24 million unaffiliated Americans the right to vote in closed primaries — the single greatest expansion of voting rights in a half-century. It’s pretty simple: Every eligible American, regardless of party affiliation, should have the right to participate in every taxpayer-funded election.

“We’re grateful to Reps. Fitzpatrick, Golden, Garbarino, and Gluesenkamp Perez for making independents’ voting rights a priority, and we look forward to supporting and passing this legislation.”

Polling on the Let America Vote Act:

• An August poll from Citizen Data found that 72% of respondents support LAVA, while only 8% oppose
• 78% of independents, 74% of Republicans, and 66% of Democrats support LAVA

Key stats about America’s Primary Problem — the most solvable problem in politics today:

• 22 states hold closed primaries for Congress and/or president, which deny 23.5 million registered independents the right to fully exercise their right to vote.
• In 2024, 87% of U.S. House races were uncompetitive in the general election. Just 7% of eligible voters participated in primaries that effectively elected 87% of the House.
• In July, for the first time in its history, Gallup’s tracking poll found a majority of voters identified as independent. An August Gallup poll found 44% of Generation X, 52% of Millennials, and 52% of Generation Z identify as independent. According to exit polling from Edison Research, self-identified independents accounted for a larger share of the vote than Democrats in the 2024 general election.  

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About Unite America

Unite America is a philanthropic venture fund that invests in nonpartisan election reform to foster a more representative and functional government.

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