A special Primary Buzz conversation hosted by Unite America, Open Primaries and Arizona State University’s Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy More and more Americans — 43% — identify as independent voters.

This year alone, over 23.5 million independent voters across 22 states have been disenfranchised by closed primaries. This includes three million independent voters in three key swing states that will likely decide the 2024 presidential election: Arizona, Nevada, and Pennsylvania.

But who are independents?

A new report from the Unite America Institute in collaboration with Change Research–Not Invited to the Party Primary: Independent Voters and the Problem with Closed Primaries– explores who these voters are demographically, shares why they register as independents, and examines their political beliefs. The report joins a growing body of research on independents that is attempting to understand why they are the fastest group of voters in the country and what makes them tick. 

Leading that conversation is ASU’s Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy (Co-Founded by Thom Reilly & Jackie Salit), which is developing new models and leading an ongoing dialogue on how best to address the challenges of this sea change in voter affiliation and attitude. On Friday June 21st at 12pm ET, Open Primaries President John Opdycke will interview Unite America’s Tyler Fisher, Change Research’s Sumati Thomas, and ASU’s Thom Reilly, to discuss the latest research and understanding of this dynamic and growing trend towards independence and what it means for the future of our democracy.