The Spirit of Independents is a non-partisan political movement — a Section 527 organization — dedicated to inspiring independent voters, and independent thinkers within the major parties, to support independent candidates for federal office beginning on Election Day, November 7, 2028.

The aim is to give the two major parties' officeholders in Congress a minimum four-year “time-out,” so that a reshaped, independent Congress has the chance to break the gridlock. No party. No bosses. No money in our pockets.

Twelve seconds is roughly the time it takes to fill in the circles on your ballot beside the names of the independent candidates for the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate, and the White House on Election Day, 2028. The “12-Second Revolution” is founder Randy Ball's name for that single, simple act — done by enough citizens on the same day — that could change the flow of American history.

It is the movement at spirit-of-independents.com, and is not connected to any book, album, or other work of a similar name.

Four things, drawn directly from the founder's message. First, join — add your name to declare you are an Independent Spirit. Second, be willing to give your own member of Congress — not just everyone else's — at least a four-year time-out. Third, support independent candidates for federal office where you find them, or run yourself. Fourth, on November 7, 2028, cast your vote for the independent candidates for the House, the Senate, and the White House.

That fourth step is the twelve seconds.

No. You can stay registered exactly as you are. The movement is for independent voters and for “Independent Spirits” who are currently registered as Republicans or Democrats but are willing to give major-party officeholders a temporary time-out.

You are not being asked to change your registration — only to own your vote, which is yours alone.

That worry is exactly what the movement is built to overcome. A single independent vote feels wasted only because we assume everyone else will keep voting the two-party line. The 12-Second Revolution is a coordinated, single-day action: if enough citizens across the political spectrum vote independent on the same Election Day, independents win — and the vote becomes the opposite of wasted.

It is also reversible. If the experiment fails to deliver, voters can return the major parties to power at the next election.

Because the founder's view is that decades of two-party gridlock are a bipartisan failure — a Congress that won't agree on so much as a Mother's Day Resolution while the national debt tops $40 trillion. The proposal is to clear both major parties out of Congress for a minimum four-year time-out.

That gives a reshaped, independent Congress the opportunity to eliminate the filibuster, balance the federal budget, and let fresh ideas pass into law. If it does not work, the time-out can be reversed at the ballot box.

Neither — it is explicitly non-partisan. The Spirit of Independents asks the same thing of every major-party officeholder, Republican and Democrat alike, and welcomes registered members of both parties as well as independents.

The organization does not coordinate with, and is not affiliated with, any political party, candidate, or candidate committee.

A Section 527 is a type of tax-exempt political organization named for section 527 of the U.S. tax code. The Spirit of Independents, Inc. is registered with the Federal Election Commission as an independent expenditure-only committee.

In plain terms: it can advocate for its cause, but it does not coordinate with, and is not affiliated with, any candidate or political party.

Randy Ball is the founder of The Spirit of Independents. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy (Class of 1981), he served as a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, later became a Major Crimes detective, and was elected to the Florida House of Representatives for District 29.

Joining is free — no dues, no obligations. Start by adding your name on the Join page. From there you can support or become an independent candidate, spread the word, and, if you choose, donate to help the movement grow or buy a yard sign.

The one essential act costs nothing but twelve seconds on Election Day, 2028.

The plan is built as a reversible time-out, not a permanent removal. In the founder's own framing: if The Spirit of Independents fails to deliver, voters can return the major parties to power at the following election.

The point is to give a refreshed, independent Congress a genuine chance to act — while keeping the ultimate power exactly where it belongs, with the voters.