45% of Americans now call themselves independent — more than either party. So why does Congress look nothing like the country?

Today Grant talks with Chad Peace of the Independent Voter Project about the hidden math behind our elections: how closed primaries, gerrymandering, and plurality voting let roughly 1–2% of the electorate pick your representative before most people even show up to vote.

→ Why independent voters aren't "closet partisans" — they're structurally locked out
→ The New Jersey primary that half the state can't vote in
→ Why Alaska now has the gold standard of elections (and why Trump hates it)
→ The one-sentence law Congress could pass tomorrow
→ Why voter ID is 84% popular but never passes
→ How we get from here to real reform

LINKS:

Independent Voter Project

Make It Make Sense Substack

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Disclosure: This episode contains paid sponsorship. All opinions are Grant’s own.

#independentvoters #elections #democracy #votingrights #politics #primaryelections #rankedchoicevoting

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Trump gave a primetime national address about the Iran war — and the most important parts were what he didn't say. We break down the three things that got cut from the speech, why the markets tanked anyway, and why $7/gallon gas might hit by Memorial Day.

Then: the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara — the case that could end birthright citizenship for the first time in 127 years. We explain what the administration is actually arguing, why they're citing a pro-segregation white supremacist, and what the justices signaled. Plus: Trump became the first sitting president to show up during a case. It didn't go how he thought it would.

This week on Substack (paid): The new bills in Congress targeting citizenship — what they say, what experts are calling dangerous, and who they'd affect. → makeitmakesense.substack.com

PROMO CODES:

Make It Make Sense with Grant Hermes

Sponsored by: Akila Sunglasses

This episode is brought to you by Akila Sunglasses

Don’t get caught wearing last summer’s sunglasses this spring break. Akila offers great frames for every style, without the designer price tag.

Use the code MIMS25 to get 10% off your entire order

👉 Shop now: AKILA.la

Disclosure: This episode contains paid sponsorship. All opinions are Grant’s own.

Support the show

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The longest government shutdown in US history drags on as Republicans in the House and Senate square off against each other before leaving for Spring Break without a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

Trump orders TSA agents to get back pay, except no one knows where the money is coming from or if it's legal. ICE may be a permanent fixture at airports.

The war in Iran reaches the two-month mark as gas prices rise to $4/gallon and don't show any sign of coming down. Trump hints that he may just walk away from the war and leave the rest of the world to deal with Iran and a closed Strait of Hormuz, which threatens to send gas prices to $7/gallon by the summer.

Buckle up.

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