From his run for class president in 3rd grade to forming a 3rd-party political party in New York state, John Opdycke is no stranger to disrupting the political system. In this episode we hear from John about the value of independent voters and how open primaries—in its many forms—can be a catalyst for improving not just our politics, but our government as a whole.

Bio:

John Opdycke is the President of Open Primaries and is one of the country’s most visible and vocal advocates for primary reform. John grew up outside Chicago in Evanston, Illinois and later attended the University of Michigan. He began his career as a fundraiser and researcher for the Rainbow Lobby, which advocated for ballot access and debate reform in the United States and supported the pro-democracy movement in the Congo (Zaire).

In 1992, John joined Dr. Lenora Fulani's independent campaign for president as a regional fundraising director, and in 1994 he also assisted Dr. Fulani in her campaign against Mario Cuomo in the New York Democratic Party gubernatorial primary. That same year, John participated in the founding of the New York State Independence Party, a state affiliate of the National Reform Party. A few years later John became the director of development of Independentvoting.org, where he was incredibly successful.

John has appeared on Fox News, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, Cheddar TV, PBS, and NBC and his written commentary on the subject of independent politics and electoral reform has appeared in USA Today, Newsweek, The Hill, The Fulcrum and dozens of local publications.

Changing the incentives (with John Pudner)

How to Win Friends and Save the RepublicBy National Association of Nonpartisan ReformersAug 27, 2021