Jay Stooksberry

Getting elected as a third-party candidate is no easy feat in the United States. In fact, the deck is so stacked against alternative candidates — courtesy of gerrymandered voting districts that favor one of the major parties, ballot access laws that …

Not that it would surprise many, but President-elect Donald Trump contradicted himself recently. Per usual form, Trump stirred up a hornets’ nest of controversy with a recent tweet, suggesting that flag burning—a form of Constitutionally-protected …

Media pundits and prominent publications are putting the full court press on third-party candidates. It is no coincidence that Hillary Clinton’s efforts to attract millennial voters coincides with the pervasive media attack on Gary Johnson and Jill …

Understandably, readers of the IVN pride themselves on their status as… well… independent voters. Voters are jettisoning the Democratic and Republican Parties faster than you can say “record high unfavorable ratings.” However, ditching the two-party …

Ted Cruz’s infamous “vote your conscience” speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention raised a flag for “Never Trump” Republicans to rally around nationwide. This group of disillusioned Republicans, who still have not embraced the new face of …

Spoiler alert! Is it Perot? Is it Nader? No, it’s Gary Johnson. Like clockwork, immediately following the introduction of a political candidate from outside the two-party system, pundits do not hesitate to discuss how this one individual will “spoil” …

The Libertarian Party Convention convened over Memorial Day weekend, bringing together thousands of participants — from party delegates to true-believer activists — in the process of selecting the candidates who would go on to represent them during …

“We stand here in the middle of this city and force ourselves to imagine the moment the bomb fell. We force ourselves to feel the dread of children confused by what they see. We listen to a silent cry. We remember all the innocents killed across the …

“From the start, he said: ‘This campaign is not about me’ – it’s a chance for voters who’ve been disregarded and discarded to forge a new political revolution that will continue to grow beyond this election and create a true people’s government.” ~ …

Imagine a president with the authority to indefinitely detain you without due process, indiscriminately bomb countries without congressional authorization, possess the launch codes to 5,113 nuclear warheads, snoop on your Internet activities without …

North Carolina’s HB 2 law—also known as the “bathroom bill”—has stirred the pot of national controversy for the past few weeks. This particular piece of legislation has catapulted itself into a topic of debate among the presidential candidates as …

“Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.” ~H.L. Mencken The 2016 election is already shaping up to be a big disappointment for many voters. Both of the presumptive nominees, Hillary …

2016 is shaping up to be the year of the “anti-establishment” candidate. Though this author is still confused how a career politician or real estate mogul (two resumes deeply embedded within the establishment) fully deserve the “anti-establishment” …

With the escalating disenfranchisement of voters, the possibility of a prominent third party candidate gaining national attention has become a popular topic. As one of the few parties with ballot access in all 50 states, the Libertarian Party is …

A debate featuring many of the candidates seeking the Libertarian Party created some ruckus within libertarian inner circles. Party front-runner Gary Johnson, who was the 2012 nominee, shrugged off a question regarding the “non-aggression principle” …

The recent cancellation of a Donald Trump rally in Chicago has re-energized a popular misconception about free speech in our country—namely, we all get to speak without receiving any flak for what we say. Both sides of the equation are quick to point …

Of all of his proposals, Bernie Sanders’ platform regarding higher education — namely, making college free for everybody — has been the most widely discussed. On his website, he lays out a six-part plan on how to make this happen: Make tuition free …

The death of Justice Antonin Scalia has set the stage for the always politicized conversation about Supreme Court appointments and confirmations. Within minutes of the news of his passing, both sides of the aisle were quick to express their political …

Carly Fiorina and her supporters raised a fuss over her recent debate snub in New Hampshire. The dissatisfaction of her followers inspired the #LetCarlyDebate hashtag, making the case that their candidate was being cheated out of an opportunity for …

“Being in politics is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game, and dumb enough to think it’s important.” ~ Eugene McCarthy Two uniquely American events are about to descend upon us: the Super Bowl and the …