Voting without jerseys
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America loves a team. Red vs. Blue. Coke vs. Pepsi. Apple vs. Android. Somewhere along the way, we let politics join the same game — and forgot that governing isn’t supposed to be a sport.
The truth is, party loyalty has become the political equivalent of brand loyalty. We buy the same label every election because we recognize the logo, not because we checked the ingredients.
But what if we didn’t?
What if we voted like adults — comparing facts instead of jerseys, policies instead of promises? That’s what this thought experiment is about.
The Problem with Teams
Parties make politics easy to digest. They tell you who to cheer for, who to hate, and which headlines to repost. The problem is that shortcuts in thinking become shortcuts in democracy.
When you outsource your opinions to a party, you stop asking hard questions. You stop noticing when both sides quietly agree to things like unlimited corporate donations or untraceable data collection. You stop realizing that most voters — left, right, and center — actually agree on a surprising number of issues.
Parties thrive on outrage because outrage keeps you subscribed.
The Case for Going Unaffiliated
Voting without a party doesn’t mean you’re neutral. It means you’re free.
Free to support a policy that makes sense even if it comes from “the other side.”
Free to reject candidates who weaponize division instead of solving problems.
Free to change your mind when the facts change.
Nearly 40% of Americans now identify as independents — the largest voting bloc in the country. Yet the political system still treats independents like weird uncles at Thanksgiving: tolerated, but never really invited to the table.
That needs to change.
Data Over Drama
Here’s the data we rarely hear:
A Pew study shows most voters hold a mix of conservative and liberal views.
Local elections — often nonpartisan — have the highest correlation with citizen satisfaction.
States with open primaries report higher voter turnout and less negative campaigning.
In other words: the more freedom voters have from the party machine, the better the results.
The Goal
The goal isn’t about abolishing Democrats or Republicans. It’s about shrinking their monopoly on our attention.
A Modest Proposal
Next election, try this: before marking your ballot, cover up the party names. Ask yourself which candidate you’d choose if you didn’t know their color.
That simple exercise might be the most radical act of patriotism left.
Welcome to The Unparty. Let’s see what happens when we stop playing teams and start voting for ideas.