Several nonpartisan organizations work on behalf of independent voters, though they do different kinds of work. Some push for structural reforms like open primaries and ranked-choice voting that affect how much independents' votes count. Others simply help any voter, independent or not, find unbiased information about what's on their ballot. Here's who does what.
Open Primaries: advocates for open and nonpartisan primary systems that let independents vote in primary elections regardless of party registration. It started as a project of Independent Voting in 2009 and launched as its own organization in 2014, and has backed open-primary changes in states including Maine (2022) and New Mexico (2025).
FairVote: researches and promotes voting reforms, especially ranked-choice voting in both single-winner and proportional forms, aiming to give voters more options and fairer representation.
Veterans for All Voters: mobilizes military veterans to push for structural election reforms, including open primaries and ranked-choice voting, with the goal of reducing polarization and increasing competition for independent and centrist candidates and voters.
Independent Voter Project: works on election reform and voter education so that voting in public elections isn't tied to belonging to a party, through initiatives, litigation and public education.
Grand Bargain Project: a separate, transpartisan effort (not an Independent Center program) that works to build broadly supported policy frameworks across areas like economic mobility, healthcare and tax reform, aiming to move political debate away from party loyalty.
The Independent Center partners with all five of these groups. See each one's profile for more on its specific work: Open Primaries, FairVote, Veterans for All Voters, Independent Voter Project, and Grand Bargain Project.
League of Women Voters (VOTE411): a free, nonpartisan voter guide that shows you the races and ballot measures on your ballot by address, and publishes candidates' own answers to its questionnaire without editing or endorsement.
Ballotpedia: a nonprofit, nonpartisan encyclopedia of American elections and candidates, including its Candidate Connection survey, where candidates describe their own priorities and positions.
Vote Smart: collects candidates' responses to its Political Courage Test, voting records, and interest-group ratings from multiple sides of an issue, in one place.
Why these matter for independents specifically: these tools don't rely on a party label to help you find information, which is useful if you're comparing candidates on the issues rather than along party lines. See how to compare candidates on the issues, not just party for a step-by-step approach using these tools.
Reform organizations work to change the rules of elections themselves, such as who can vote in a primary or how ballots are counted. Their work affects independents as a group, over time, regardless of who's on a particular ballot.
Voter information organizations help you with a specific, current election, by showing you what's on your ballot and what candidates say about the issues.
The Independent Center is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) that provides voter education and does not endorse or oppose candidates, and partners with reform organizations on shared nonpartisan goals.
Is there one organization that represents independent voters nationally?
No single organization speaks for all independent voters. Several groups work on different pieces of the issue, from primary-system reform to candidate-neutral voter guides, and independents can use whichever resources fit what they're trying to do.
Do these reform organizations endorse candidates?
It varies by organization and depends on whether the specific group is a nonprofit or a political action committee, which have different rules. Check an organization's own materials for its current policy before assuming either way.
Which resource should I use to research candidates before Election Day?
For nonpartisan answers in candidates' own words, VOTE411 and Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey are both free and don't require registering with a party.
What's the difference between Open Primaries and the Independent Voter Project?
Both work on primary-system reform, but Open Primaries focuses specifically on campaigns to open primary elections state by state, while the Independent Voter Project works more broadly across election reform, litigation and voter education.
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