Independent voting movement

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The independent voting movement is a group of progressive, anti-party independent voters in the United States who want to reform the two-party system at all levels of government. The main organizing body is the Committee for a Unified Independent Party (CUIP), and its online home is independentvoting.org. Their mission is to build a movement of independent voters for progressive, post-partisan reform of American politics.

The movement isn’t a political party, but it has roots in several earlier groups. The strongest ties are to the New Alliance Party of New York City, started by Fred Newman. The New Alliance Party dissolved in 1994, and many of its members— including Newman and Lenora Fulani—joined the Independence Party of New York (IPNY). They, with Jacqueline Salit, also helped start CUIP. Many CUIP founders were involved in forming the Reform Party in 1995, which grew out of Ross Perot’s 1992 campaign.

CUIP members worked with IPNY to back Michael Bloomberg for New York City mayor in 2001, 2005, and 2009, though the exact level of their participation isn’t clear. It’s also unclear whether CUIP has always been anti-party or if that stance developed through its dealings with IPNY over the years.

Today, the independent movement has leaders in New York and across the country, organizing grassroots efforts under its umbrella. Jacqueline Salit is the president of CUIP and of independentvoting.org. Nancy Ross is the secretary and treasurer. According to its site, CUIP aims to bring independents and third parties together across ideological lines, and independentvoting.org focuses on grassroots organizing of unaffiliated independent voters.