Publish with IVN

IVN is a platform built for independent-minded journalists coming from different perspectives. Our contributors span the political spectrum. They include attorneys, organizers, former elected officials, professional journalists, academics, students, and people who simply think clearly about how political systems work.

What unites us is a focus on rules, incentives, and the structural conditions that shape American politics, and a willingness to abide by a short editorial etiquette.

If you read something on IVN you think is wrong, the answer is not to ask us to take it down. The answer is to make your case. Submit your piece. If it follows the rules below, we will publish it. IVN regularly runs work that disagrees with our other contributors, and with positions taken by the Independent Voter Project itself. That is the model.

What We Publish

• Reporting on election rules, ballot access, primary systems, and campaign mechanics
• Analysis and commentary on political systems, reform, and institutional incentives
• Explainers that demystify how things actually work
• First-person accounts from people inside the political process
• Responses to other IVN coverage, when the response makes a substantive argument
• Investigative reporting and original data work

If your topic touches a political system, a structural reform, an election rule, or how an institution actually behaves, it is in our wheelhouse.

What We Do Not Publish

IVN is opinionated about systems. We are not a campaign tool. The following will be declined:

• Endorsements of candidates
• Press releases from campaigns, parties, or political committees
• Personal attacks on individual candidates or officeholders that do not make a substantive systems argument
• Content paid for or commissioned by a campaign or political committee, unless disclosed and clearly labeled as sponsored
• Material that is primarily AI-generated, or that misrepresents authorship
• Plagiarized work, or previously-published work submitted without disclosure

The IVN Editorial Etiquette

Four rules. They apply to every contributor. They are not negotiable.

• No personal attacks. Argue with the idea, not the person.
• No partisan attacks. Criticize a policy, a record, or an argument, not someone's party.
• Substantiate your claims. State it as fact, back it up. Be clear when you are offering opinion.
• No self-promotion. Write to inform the reader, not to sell a product, a service, or yourself.

Each rule, with what it means in practice, is on the IVN Etiquette page.

Have an investigative story?

Want to collaborate on video or social? Pitch us at write@ivn.us.

How to Submit

Submit your draft through the IVN contributor form. Include:

• Your name and a one-paragraph bio (two or three sentences is fine)
• The full draft, in plain text or as a Google Doc link with editor access
• Citations or source links, inline or at the end
• One image with credit, if relevant (optional)
• Any disclosures of interest or affiliation a reader might want to know

If your piece is a response to another IVN article, link to it.

Length: most IVN pieces run between 600 and 1,500 words. Longer is fine for deep reporting or major analysis. Shorter is fine for a sharp argument. Write to the topic, not to a target.

What Happens After You Submit

An editor will read your draft and respond, typically within five business days. We may:

• Publish as submitted
• Suggest light edits for clarity, length, or sourcing
• Send the piece back with editorial feedback before it can run
• Decline to publish, with a brief explanation

We do not publish pieces that violate the etiquette, fail to source their claims, or do not make a substantive argument about systems, rules, or incentives. Decisions are editorial, and they are final.

Compensation and Rights

Most IVN content is contributed without compensation by writers who want to reach the IVN audience. For commissioned reporting, certain editorial series, and specific partnerships, paid contributor agreements are available. Compensation is discussed on a per-project basis.

By submitting, you confirm:

• The work is your original creation, or you have the rights to publish it
• IVN may edit your piece for clarity, length, and style
• IVN holds non-exclusive rights to publish, archive, and distribute the piece
• You retain ownership of your underlying ideas and credit on the byline

If you want your piece republished elsewhere after it runs on IVN, that is encouraged. The terms on our Syndication page apply.

Audience

IVN reaches a national audience of voters, policy professionals, election reform advocates, journalists, and independent-minded readers across our website, newsletters, and social platforms. Work that performs well is regularly shared by election officials, reform organizations, academics, and researchers, and is indexed by Google News.

Editorial Contact

For pitches, questions, or anything not covered here: write@ivn.us