There’s a strange misconception that politically independent Americans are detached. That their refusal to align with either party signals apathy or confusion. In truth, the opposite is more often the case. The politically homeless are frequently the most informed, the most thoughtful, and often the most invested. They see too much, understand too well, and know better than to pretend that either camp offers a full answer.

That insight can be isolating. But it doesn’t have to be. The Independent Center exists for exactly these people, for those who want to engage deeply without playing for a team. It offers a political home not defined by allegiance but by values: pluralism, pragmatism, and participation. It’s a place where complexity is welcome, and where hope for a new way forward can be found.

In a recent conversation with Lura Forcum, President at the Independent Center, it became clear just how much thought and purpose is driving this quiet movement. From voter education to future electoral influence, the Independent Center is carving out space for independents to belong and lead.

A Shift from Spectator to Strategist

Lura came to the Independent Center from a career in academia, bringing with her a background in psychology and marketing and a growing frustration with how public discourse was unfolding.

“There are so many things we know about persuasion and influence,” she told me, “and what makes people willing to listen, or stop listening. I wanted to apply that to how we talk about public policy.”

At the heart of her approach is a belief that the quality of our politics improves as more people engage, not in shouting matches, but in value-based conversations about how we want to live together.

“It’s not about one side winning,” she said. “It’s about working together to sort out our values and our priorities in a way that lets us live together and flourish together.”

But oversimplified, binary debates are driving thoughtful people away.

“The fact that [the arguments] are so ridiculous is why people who aren’t partisan just drop out,” she explained. “They’re like, ‘This is dumb. I don’t have time for this.’”

Not a Party. A Movement.

The Independent Center isn’t trying to build a new party. It’s trying to build a new kind of engagement. With an audience of over 130,000 and growing, it’s a place for people who don’t fit neatly into the red or blue boxes but still care deeply about the direction of the country.

“We’re trying to create a movement of people who want to engage, but in a nonpartisan way,” Lura said. “You don’t have to vote [for a] third party to be an independent. You don’t have to drop out. You can still split your ticket, swing your vote, and that’s powerful.”

That influence is already shifting outcomes.

“The [partisan] base [voters] isn’t like that,” she pointed out. “The base is with you no matter what. But independents? You have to deliver for them, or they’ll walk.”

And with more than half of Millennials and Gen Z identifying as politically independent, their influence is only growing.

“This is the political future that people are going to have to govern with.”

From Informed to Influential

That mindset, intentional, discerning, unwilling to buy into easy narratives, is exactly what the Independent Center is trying to nurture. But it’s not just about reflection. It’s about helping people take action.

Much of the Independent Center’s work focuses on voter education, helping people understand how policies align with their values without prescribing what they should think.

“We’re not a policy shop saying ‘here are the answers,’” Lura explained. “We’re saying: tell us what’s important to you, and we’ll help you understand how a policy aligns with that, or doesn’t.”

It’s a model that resonates with efforts like the Grand Bargain Project, where Americans are invited to explore 46 policy proposals outlined in the Grand Bargain Framework Agreement and decide what tradeoffs they’re willing to make for a better future.

“In our daily lives, we know we can’t have everything. But political conversations rarely acknowledge that,” Lura said. “That kind of tradeoff thinking is really important. And we don’t talk about it enough.”

Infrastructure for Independent Power

Lura joined the Independent Center in December, part of a growing team of strategists, pollsters, policy minds, and technologists. Their current work includes a newsletter that reaches over 130,000 people, plans for small in-person meetups around the country, and online tools to help voters navigate the often-opaque registration rules for nonpartisan participation.

“We just want people to participate,” she said. “We’re not telling you how… but we’ll be glad to talk to you about values and priorities and how they match up.”

Eventually, the Independent Center aims to expand its impact through a C4 and a PAC that can provide operational, financial, and moral support to independent candidates.

“It’s incredibly tricky to run as an independent,” Lura noted. “It’s expensive and you don’t have the support that you would have if you were a member of a party.”

That next phase is still on the horizon. But the groundwork is already being laid.

From Footing to Future

In the meantime, the Independent Center is actively exploring how to collaborate with the Grand Bargain Project through community outreach, cross-promotion, and participation in ongoing public feedback.

"We look forward to partnering with Grand Bargain Project, especially to promote proposals about affordability and inflation. Our community is interested in those issues."

Together, these two efforts may offer a new kind of path for independent voters, one that begins with finding a political home and continues with the chance to reshape the system that never quite made room for them.

“We agree on these values,” Lura said. “Now you guys get them done.”