“What’s An Independent Voter, Anyway?” To Stream Online Oct. 1 To Decipher the Meaning of “Independent Voter.”
CHARLESTON, SEP 28 – Lura Forcum lives in Pendleton, SC, and has spent years trying to figure out what voters think, at think tanks, as a consumer psychologist at Clemson University, and most recently as the president of The Independent Center in Washington DC.
She’s not entirely sure she’s found the answer, but she’s found clues.
“The independent voter in America has been an orphan for so long,” she says. Both political parties have worked hard, state by state, to keep independents from organizing, and short of that, off the ballot.
“Both of the establishment political parties – the Republicans and the Democrats – have a considered antipathy toward independents, because they are a challenge to the parties’ influence, power and control. And both parties agree on at least one thing: it’s better to disenfranchise independent voters and candidates than to try and win them over.
“But that strategy may not work much longer. We’re seeing a rapid change in the number of people who identify as independents,” Forcum said, noting that a 2025 survey by The Gallup Organization found 45% of voters identifying as independents, more than those identifying as Republican or Democrat combined.
Another indicator of an independent voter surge is the independent candidate surge, she says.
“Not that long ago, in 2024, we saw only 57 independent candidates for U.S. House on the ballot. By July 2026, that number had exploded to 170, with another 47 independent candidates running for U.S. Senate.
“The surge in voters identifying as independent and the upswing in independent candidates offering themselves to the electorate represents a pretty stiff challenge to the dominance of the legacy parties,” Forcum said.
Forcum will be the headliner Oct. 1 on the first episode of a three-part webcast organized by the South Carolina Forward Party.
On Oct. 8, Thom Reilly, Co-Director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University, will discuss in greater detail how independents are expected to influence the 2026 elections.
And on Oct 15, a panel comprising Jay Doyle, the mayor of Georgetown; Dr. Jermaine Johnson, SC House member and candidate for Governor, and Bob Perls, former US diplomat and elected State Representative in New Mexico, will discuss how independents govern differently.
There is no charge for the webcast, but those interested must register to gain obtain a link to the webcast. Registration can be done online at
https://www.southcarolinaforwardparty.com/705/thinking_different_america_s
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Associate Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
