The independent voter / Thom Reilly, Jacqueline S. Salit, Omar H. Ali ; foreword by Andrew Yang ; afterword by Jessie Fields.

Introduction -- Who Is the Independent Voter? -- Independents in American History -- Independent Voter or Shadow Partisans? -- Independents and Their Uses of Power -- Can Independents be Key to Bridging the Political Divide? -- Free the Voters: The Legal Barriers and Biases Against Independents -- Independents Speak: "We're Not a Party. We're a Mindset" -- What Binds Independents Together -- Democracy's Dilemma -- Part One -- Democracy's Dilemma -- Part Two.

"Upwards of forty percent of American voters now self-identify as independent, with the polling data sometimes reaching as high as fifty percent. Who are these growing numbers of independents, what do they want, and how are they transforming the political landscape in the United States? What is the connection between the volatile crisis in US democracy and the steep rise of the independent voter? With no formal name, no party affiliation and no common ideological doctrine, independents are determining the outcome of major elections, shaping an agenda for nonpartisan reform, and challenging the long-held categories and conclusions of political science. Drawing on historical and contemporary data (including survey data, participant observation, interviews, and current writings and scholarship), and providing timely new analysis, the authors argue that independents are an engine for a significant transformation of US democracy. They want to be free to vote for the person, not the party; they want fundamental non-partisan fairness to govern the political process; and they do not equate bipartisanship with non-partisanship"-- Provided by publisher.