Your argument for both/and versus the typical partisan either/or is right on. It's sad that mentality is so rare in our hyper partisan world. One of the hills to climb.
I would suggest another point for your list: There are times when compromise is worthwhile and there are times when only a clear change in direction must be demanded.
The movement for rights for non-partisan voters has been underway nationally for over 30 years; 25 years here in Arizona, where I live. It has made some breakthroughs and they are significant. It has had some failures and they are significant. One of our challenges is that Independent Voter turnout is extremely low. The challenge is connecting with this massive voter pool to motivate them to cast a ballot. They all vote now; it's just that most stay home and vote for the winner, whoever that is. We need to start talking about casting a ballot:active voting instead of passive voting. And that's a whole new ballgame. Even where party constructed obstacles have yet to be erected, the vast majority of Independent Voters are passive; they just don't cast ballot--and ballots are what determine election outcomes.
There's a lot of work to be done and much of it is (and has been for some time) underway. A major question: how can we coalesce those endeavors to yield real results? What can happen in 2026 to show progress?
Your argument for both/and versus the typical partisan either/or is right on. It's sad that mentality is so rare in our hyper partisan world. One of the hills to climb.
I would suggest another point for your list: There are times when compromise is worthwhile and there are times when only a clear change in direction must be demanded.
The movement for rights for non-partisan voters has been underway nationally for over 30 years; 25 years here in Arizona, where I live. It has made some breakthroughs and they are significant. It has had some failures and they are significant. One of our challenges is that Independent Voter turnout is extremely low. The challenge is connecting with this massive voter pool to motivate them to cast a ballot. They all vote now; it's just that most stay home and vote for the winner, whoever that is. We need to start talking about casting a ballot:active voting instead of passive voting. And that's a whole new ballgame. Even where party constructed obstacles have yet to be erected, the vast majority of Independent Voters are passive; they just don't cast ballot--and ballots are what determine election outcomes.
There's a lot of work to be done and much of it is (and has been for some time) underway. A major question: how can we coalesce those endeavors to yield real results? What can happen in 2026 to show progress?
I will be in touch with some ideas.