In a special Olas Media crossover episode, Andy Moore, Executive Director of NANR (National Association of Non-Partisan Reformers) talks to retired corrections officer and host of Reason 55, Stephen Walker. 

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Andy and Stephen are recording this episode straight from the Independent Voter Project Summit (IVP) in Hawaii where IVP gathered elected officials with a diverse group of industry experts to consider policy matters in a nonpartisan manner. 

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In this episode, Andy speaks to the value of convening, catalyzing and connecting, when challenging and changing policies and how primaries work. Stephen, a IVP Board Member, shares how his passion and his experiences led him to the Independent Voter Project.

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“During those gridlock years when the budget was in dysfunction in an absolute disarray, the first line item, the first of the three big, big general fund allocations that would get cut was corrections, and it would be an unallocated cut, which meant that the agency had the ability to determine what was going to be sacrificed. And it was nine out of ten times it was two things, it was programming for the inmates and officers. And you reduce either one of those components and you create and especially during those times of overcrowding, right? You create a scenario that's untenable,” Stephan explains on why he started to get more involved in politics. 

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IVP seeks to re-engage nonpartisan voters and promote nonpartisan election reform through initiatives, litigation, and voter education. It was founded by Politic Deli host Dan Howle, former California State Senator and Assemblymember Steve Peace, a registered Democrat, and former California Assemblymember Jeff Marston, a Republican.

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If you are interested in politics, how primaries work, and the policy change, this is the podcast for you. 

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