Does your right to vote really mean what you think it does? Chad Peace and Cara McCormick explore that question by looking at how gerrymandering and closed primaries across the country leave independents and everyday voters sidelined. While Democrats and Republicans fight over control of districts and rules, the individual right to vote often becomes collateral damage.

The conversation highlights recent lawsuits and the story of a retired Florida attorney who took his challenge to closed primaries all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Chad and allies from Open Primaries and the Forward Party joined the fight, underscoring that this isn’t about partisanship but about whether the right to vote derives from citizenship itself.

For Cara, the path forward is clear: structural reforms like open primaries, ranked choice voting, and majority winners are needed to ensure voters truly have a voice. Even in setbacks, she calls it “losing forward” — the idea that every fight brings the country closer to a more representative democracy.

Listen to more episodes and join the conversation at IVN.us and olasmedia.com.

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