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 Republicans, progressives, socialists, libertarians—even anarchists. And depending on the article, they’re all true.
We are open to any voice that follows our simple etiquette. If you believe political independence is a mindset, not a middle ground, you’re in the right place.
This the Independent Voter Podcast..
How 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 down what he actually said, what got cut from the viral version, and why both sides keep weaponizing clips like this to deepen the divide.
The hosts open with the Iran bombing comment controversy, unpacking the full context (it came during a riff on oil prices) and whether the media's selective editing is just as corrosive as the original remark. From there they dig into IVP's new California survey, where Prop. 39's voter ID measure sits at a razor-thin 43% to 40% with Democrats making up most of the undecided 17%.
Independent Voter Podcast now has its own YouTube channel! If you enjoy these conversations, subscribe to our dedicated channel for full episodes, interviews, and future content: https://youtube.com/@IndependentVoterPodcast (https://youtube.com/@IndependentVoterPodcast)
Listen to more episodes and read in-depth coverage at:
https://ivn.us (https://ivn.us)
https://independentvoterproject.org (https://independentvoterproject.org)
Follow and subscribe on audio platforms:
https://open.spotify.com/show/1VnqtqjZh9EbmDtVxvHF3R (https://open.spotify.com/show/1VnqtqjZh9EbmDtVxvHF3R)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/independent-voter-podcast/id1680559155 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/independent-voter-podcast/id1680559155)
Chapters:
00:00:00 – Cold Open: Trump, Iran, and a Crowd That Cheered
00:03:23 – Iran's Real Capabilities and the Troll Presidency
00:07:10 – Both Parties Spin It: Trust and the New IVP Poll
00:11:30 – Prop 39 Wording, Free IDs, and India's 130 Million Purge
00:15:13 – Texas Suspends a Million Voters, and November Turnout
00:18:30 – The Insurance Commissioner Test: How Framing Moves Voters
00:22:38 – Tom Steyer, Bernie Sanders, and the DSA's California Map
00:27:34 – Prop 50, Gerrymandering, and the Fight for CA-22
Support the show: https://ivn.us/podcasts/ (https://ivn.us/podcasts/)
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
30 Sept 2026
The 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 lawsuit against New York State's closed primary system, and he's joined by his attorney (and IVP host) Chad Peace to explain why.
Rieckhoff tells the personal story that pushed him into this fight: walking his kids to their New York City public school on primary day and having to explain to his seven-year-old why dad, a combat veteran and 9/11 first responder, isn't allowed to vote. Chad, Cara McCormick, and Shawn Griffiths connect that story to the bigger picture, including how Zohran Mamdani's administration and the Democratic Socialists of America have blocked open primary reform through New York's Charter Revision Commission, and how Texas Republicans are now trying to close their own primaries for the opposite partisan reason.
Independent Voter Podcast now has its own YouTube channel! If you enjoy these conversations, subscribe to our dedicated channel for full episodes, interviews, and future content: https://youtube.com/@IndependentVoterPodcast (https://youtube.com/@IndependentVoterPodcast)
Listen to more episodes and read in-depth coverage at:
https://ivn.us (https://ivn.us)
https://independentvoterproject.org (https://independentvoterproject.org)
Follow and subscribe on audio platforms:
https://open.spotify.com/show/1VnqtqjZh9EbmDtVxvHF3R (https://open.spotify.com/show/1VnqtqjZh9EbmDtVxvHF3R)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/independent-voter-podcast/id1680559155 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/independent-voter-podcast/id1680559155)
To sign on to the New York lawsuit, go to https://letvetsvote.org (https://letvetsvote.org) You can learn more about his organization, Independent Veterans of America, at https://independentveteransofamerica.org (https://independentveteransofamerica.org) and find his own show, Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff, at https://www.IndependentAmericans.us (https://www.independentamericans.us).
Chapters:
0:00 The Veteran Who Can't Vote – Suing New York
2:25 From the GI Bill to Independent Veterans of America
4:47 45% and Growing – Why Independents Won't Build a Party
7:12 In New York, the Primary Is the Whole Ballgame
9:17 "Dad, How Come You Can't Vote?" – New York as the Beachhead
11:29 What You Can Actually Do – LetVetsVote
13:42 The Real Spoilers – How the DSA Slammed the Door
16:04 The Parties Did This to Themselves – The Charter Revision Fight
18:18 Shame Them Into Action – The Full Spectrum Fight
21:09 Demographics Is Destiny – The Future Is Independent
Support the show: https://ivn.us/podcasts/ (https://ivn.us/podcasts/)
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
24 Sept 2026
Trump & 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 system that manufactured two "ideological extremes" who now have to govern together.
Chad, Cara, Shawn, and Ethan open by unpacking why Trump and Mamdani's rhetoric is scorched-earth in public but strangely cordial in person, and connect it to Katherine Gehl's recent argument about incentive structures in politics. Then comes a big on-air announcement: Independent Voter Project is filing a new federal lawsuit challenging closed primaries in New York, with veteran advocate Paul Rieckhoff as lead plaintiff. Shawn also digs into a deceptive Alaska ad campaign trying to roll back the state's open primary system.
Independent Voter Podcast now has its own YouTube channel! If you enjoy these conversations, subscribe to our dedicated channel for full episodes, interviews, and future content: https://youtube.com/@IndependentVoterPodcast (https://youtube.com/@IndependentVoterPodcast)
Listen to more episodes and read in-depth coverage at:
https://ivn.us (https://ivn.us)
https://independentvoterproject.org (https://independentvoterproject.org)
Follow and subscribe on audio platforms:
https://open.spotify.com/show/1VnqtqjZh9EbmDtVxvHF3R (https://open.spotify.com/show/1VnqtqjZh9EbmDtVxvHF3R)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/independent-voter-podcast/id1680559155 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/independent-voter-podcast/id1680559155)
Chapters:
00:00 – Trump and Mamdani at Gracie Mansion
02:52 – Katherine Gehl and the Incentive to Be Extreme
05:17 – The Same Closed Primary Playbook, Left and Right
07:19 – How DSA and MAGA Captured Their Parties
09:50 – Prop 50, Valadao, and the Cows They Cut Out
14:11 – Announcement: Suing Over New York's Closed Primaries
16:24 – Citizenship or Party Membership?
18:28 – Alaska's Ballot Measure 2 and the Dark Money Ad
21:18 – AI, Tomatoes, and a Super PAC Run by Bots
24:52 – VoterCount.ai and Sign-Off
Support the show: https://ivn.us/podcasts/ (https://ivn.us/podcasts/)
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
Reach and audience
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YouTube views
727,985
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 29 / 100
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