A New Leaf?

Photo credit: Associated Press

Two weeks ago, announcing her decision to leave the Democratic Party to register as an Independent, Senator Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) began with a statement we all know to be true: “There’s a disconnect between what everyday Americans want and deserve from our politics, and what political parties are offering.” She went on to say, “When politicians are more focused on denying the opposition party a victory than they are on improving Americans’ lives, the people who lose are everyday Americans.”

Pundits say this was not her best move, but that just underscores her courage and their bias toward applying a bipartisan lens to every political issue. We’ll see. My own bias is toward hope that voters will reward candidates who represent all of their constituents — not just members of one political party. She claims, and her colleagues agree, that she has operated independently all along; she will continue to caucus with Democrats. But hostile reactions and threats by Democrats who have no reason to play nice indicate it will become a very big deal by the time she runs for reelection in 2024.

While she is not the first Independent in the Senate, she is the first woman and the first GenX member to abandon a major party. Her open bisexuality adds even more to the significance of her declaration as a harbinger. Independents have outnumbered members of either major party among GenXers since 1992 (44% then and now). Independents made up 42% of Millennials in 2002; now they are at 52%.

Her timing is very interesting, in light of the delicate balance of power in Washington. Both major parties are all in on achieving a majority as the only way to advance their policy priorities, yet they face dissent within their ranks from moderates, and now defection has become an attractive alternative to at least one member. They cannot allow this to continue — if they have the power to stop it — because it will lead to compromises that disappoint their most zealous and influential supporters.

That’s the real question here. Will Democrats, who should have been more inviting to Independents in 2020 (but won anyway, thanks to inept opposition), finally seize the opportunity to live up to their name? Independents came through for them again in the midterms, for the same reason. We know better than to expect a reward; this is strictly politics. What Sen. Sinema’s (I) means is that other elected officials may decide to side with the voters instead of their party, despite the unavoidable cost and risk. This will cost their parties, too, and it could not come at a more inconvenient time. There is a solution — one that is inconceivable to either party: siding with the voters. What a concept! Instead of insisting the voters pledge loyalty to a party, what if the party pledged loyalty to us? What would that look like?

Glad you asked. A few friends of mine just published a book, The Independent Voter, that tells the story of who we are, how we got here, and where we’re headed. The conclusion poses a question, “How can we free American voters from the corrosive control of political parties?,” to which the authors propose “separation between the institutions of government and the functions of political parties” by the following rules:

1. Any and all offices that govern, adjudicate, or administer any aspects of the electoral process must be elected without party affiliation.
2. Appointees must be independent of party designation.
3. Any and all elections for public office should include all voters, regardless of their stated affiliations.
4. No American shall be required to join a political party or organization as a condition of voting.
5. No taxpayer dollars should be used for party business, including primaries, if the parties decide to hold them as a means of endorsing a candidate.
6. No constraints on voter or candidate mobility should be permitted.
7. Sore-loser laws, which are in effect in 47 states, and currently bar candidates from running as an independent if they lose a primary, should be abolished.
8. Anti-fusion laws in place in 42 states that prevent political coalitions from forming, should be abolished.
9. Any and all laws and regulations enacted by the parties to protect their incumbency, control, or advantage should be declared unconstitutional.
10. Ballot access laws should be fair, equitable, and nondiscriminatory against independents.
11. Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act (requiring federal government approval of changes to election law or practice) should be restored.
12. Voter registration should be automatic and nonpartisan.

Most of these reforms would need to be enacted by state legislatures. Few states allow voter initiatives, and these are precisely the kinds of measures legislatures would kill by any means necessary, anyway. While there is nothing as bipartisan as opposition to threats by challengers to the party duopoly, desperate times call for desperate measures — which might include a coalition with Independents. The minority party in any state could win support of independent voters by unilaterally opening their primary elections. They could also introduce bills to institute nonpartisan voter registration, abolish anti-fusion laws, reduce barriers to the ballot (including initiatives and referenda), and create nonpartisan (not bipartisan) redistricting commissions. Let the opposition explain themselves in the next election.

To hard core partisans and anyone content with the status quo (including media bias in favor of our cage match politics), this is all heresy. But it’s not fantasy; in fact, it’s become a trend. In Idaho, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Utah, the Democratic Party allows independent voters to participate in their primaries. Several states have already adopted primaries for Congressional and statewide elections in which all voters see the same ballot with all candidates (Alaska, Washington, California, Nebraska, and Louisiana). And just last month, Nevada voters approved nonpartisan primaries with ranked choice voting (final five) in the general elections. Similar campaigns are under way in Oregon, New Mexico, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.

Join me in celebrating Sen. Sinema’s independence. Let’s hope her example leads to election reforms that make additional party defections unnecessary. Because it’s not about any single election, any particular state, or even party affiliation. It’s about getting, as she said, what we all want and deserve from our politics.