John Opdycke

President, @Openprimaryusa Democracy activist, musical improviser, political independent, U Mich Soccer ‘87-90.

[John Opdycke @jbopdycke]

“Independents are speaking, acting & creating, not under the banner of a single organization, but as a growing decentralized movement demanding real change to how we do politics” @Fwd_Party⁩ ⁦⁦⁦@indy_americans⁩ ⁦⁩ ⁦@AmericaPartyX⁩ https://t.co/uvF3dI311M

[John Opdycke @jbopdycke]

Frank - The electorate is going independent. Pollsters have tried to downplay this for years - calling independents “party leaders” - and that leads to poor results Independents don’t play by partisan rules and you can’t understand them with partisan measurements.

[Frank Luntz @FrankLuntz]

I am calling for a total and complete shutdown of primary polling in the Midwestern United States until we can figure out what the hell is going on.

[Brandon Waltens @bwaltens]

BREAKING: New Secretary of State Robert Howden will continue opposing the @TexasGOP’s lawsuit seeking closed primaries, telling the court the issue should instead be resolved by the Legislature #txlege

[John Opdycke @jbopdycke]

Governor Moore Endorses Open Primaries - Now Plaintiffs Ask Him to Help Resolve Maryland’s Closed Primary Lawsuit https://t.co/XavJCTQiqK

[Unite America @uniteamerica]

Closing primaries isn't just bad for voters -- it's expensive and chaotic.

Consider a new proposal to close primaries in Tennessee:

"How do you transition an entire state — more than 4.7 million registered voters (over 8 million eligible voters) — into a party registration system that has never existed? It doesn't happen quietly or cheaply. It requires a full-scale public re-registration effort. It means launching a statewide marketing and public education campaign to inform voters the rules have changed — that their current registration may no longer be sufficient. It means expanding or opening voter registration sites across all 95 counties to handle a surge of paper registrations. It likely means building or upgrading secure digital registration systems, and training election officials in every county to use them.
None of that is reflected in the $162,800 estimate."

Learn more: https://t.co/uL1YlHWDdc

[Open Primaries @OpenPrimaryUSA]

Maryland independents are rising—and they’re demanding a voice.

HB0496 would open the primaries to over 1 million voters.

Join the movement. Watch Lt. Col. Colin Pascal explain why this matters. 👇

[Open Primaries @OpenPrimaryUSA]

Meet Stu Opdycke:
Independent voter.
Primary-day troublemaker.
Legend.

Shows up → gets shut out → makes a fuss anyway.

Honestly? Iconic. 👇

[Open Primaries @OpenPrimaryUSA]

A new op-ed out of Maryland makes a simple point:

If you have to join a political party just to vote, the system isn’t really open.

🔗 Read more: https://t.co/egwMqD55nU

[Open Primaries @OpenPrimaryUSA]

Veterans speaking out.
Independent candidates emerging.
Voters demanding a voice.

The future of American politics isn’t red vs blue.

As OP President @jbopdycke writes: the future is independent.

New piece ⬇️
https://t.co/xLIqcM0jC0

[John Opdycke @jbopdycke]

@JDinTexas62 @OpenPrimaryUSA Yup. Not great.

[John Opdycke @jbopdycke]

The ranks of significant independent candidates keeps growing. Former Montana university leader Seth Bodnar launches independent campaign against GOP Sen. Daines https://t.co/AaPLshTxHw @MayorMikeDuggan @AchillesTodd @osbornforne @TyPinkins @RABMaine

[Open Primaries @OpenPrimaryUSA]

80% of Americans don’t fit into Team Red or Team Blue—and they’re not apathetic.

In his new Substack, @jbopdycke argues that real reform comes from creative steps forward, not rigid endpoints — and why independent voters are ready to build something new.

https://t.co/oiCLQ9mBVw

[John Opdycke @jbopdycke]

https://t.co/Db9LkOxRak

[Wilneida @WilneidaNegron]

This week I wrote about what it would actually take for an Independent to win in #NY12 .

Not as a protest.
Not as a spoiler.
But as a statement about who we are becoming.
This district is full of thoughtful, serious people. Parents. Workers. Students. Caregivers. People who believe in the rule of law and in each other.
And yet so much of our politics feels small and predetermined.

A path to victory here isn’t about dynasties or donor lists. It’s about trust. It’s about showing up. It’s about remembering that representation is earned, not inherited.

More Americans now identify as independent than Democrat or Republican. That’s not apathy. It’s a quiet signal that people are looking for something steadier. More accountable. More human.

If you’re curious what that path could look like, I wrote it out here: https://t.co/KnuOi3M6Wd

[John Opdycke @jbopdycke]

“open primaries would have a moderating effect on candidates. Not in the sense of creating candidates with watered-down principles. Quite the opposite. It would moderate them from extreme tribalism.” https://t.co/CCzLR8nqzN @LightfootClay @voteyes836

[John Opdycke @jbopdycke]

Democrats and Republicans agree - the top priority in Arizona is making sure independents don’t break through and get organized. ⁦@ArizonaIndParty⁩ ⁦@SarahSmallhouse⁩ https://t.co/2acHhbn1jm

[John Opdycke @jbopdycke]

Freedom votes: Don’t close South Carolina’s primary elections https://t.co/f3EQLHYyH0

[Open Primaries @OpenPrimaryUSA]

Rahm Emanuel is right: independents will decide 2026 and 2028.

But real partnership requires changing the rules — not just the rhetoric.
You can’t court independent voters while shutting them out of primaries.

Read Rahm’s Dilemma by @jbopdycke👇
https://t.co/QDGULj641l

[Ty Pinkins for Mississippi @TyPinkins]

@PaulRieckhoff and @jbopdycke put their finger on what the political class keeps missing: the Independent movement is not a trend, it’s a governing reality. In a moment when a record-high 45% of Americans identify as Independents, the people in the middle are no longer a sidebar. We are the majority, and we are tired of being treated like an afterthought.

Their piece makes the case that Independents are already shaping outcomes, and the next step is fixing the rules so voters have real choices and politicians have to compete for the middle again. If you want to understand why this movement is growing, read it here.

https://t.co/JhCWVSfW0K

[Mayor David Holt @davidfholt]

There was once a time when the last thing you’d find in Oklahoma City was an ambitious twenty-something. In the 1980s and 1990s, we were hemorrhaging talented young people. Now those days feel like a distant memory, and this city is full of creative and entrepreneurial young people doing amazing things and helping to build what is now America’s most dynamic city. Congratulations to Leondre Lattimore and @shaiglalex for being named to the @Forbes “30 Under 30” list!

[Open Primaries @OpenPrimaryUSA]

Independent voters in New Jersey deserve more than an afterthought. A recent NJ Spotlight News op-ed makes the case for giving them a stronger voice.

🔗https://t.co/mRZwtZStJN

#ElectionReform #IndependentVoters