The U.S. Census Bureau is making a concerted effort to fully include young people, as evidenced by Commerce Secretary Gary Locke’s appearance on “The Daily Show.” But regardless of how thorough the bureau is, the Census will not capture a dramatic population migration taking place in all 50 states because young Americans are opting not to affiliate with a political party. Forty-one percent of voters between the ages of 18 and 29 are independents, and by 2015, estimates are that 18-29 year olds will account for 33 percent of all voters.  But the millennial generation finds itself confronted by an electoral system designed by — and for — the “I Like Ike” crowd. Election districts are gerrymandered to serve party interests. Many states require poll workers to be registered in a party. The Federal Election Commission is comprised of three Democrats and three Republicans, rendering it both structurally impotent and blind to the concerns of independents. And primary elections are off-limits to independents in 17 states. The attitude among elites toward the independence of younger voters ranges from amusement to outright hostility. Gail Collins of the New York Times recently opined on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that “the only kind of people voting in primaries tend to be the lunatic ends of the party because everyone else thinks its so much suaver and cooler to say they are independent.” Collins’ message to new voters: join a party and get with the program. Her view is shared by many political insiders who see independents as “fence sitters” who cannot be bothered to get involved. But the independent millennials are not apathetic. They voted in record numbers in 2008, they volunteer in their communities, but they don’t want to join a party. And their disinterest in party politics has fueled a national controversy on the issue of open versus closed primaries. Republican hardliners in Rhode Island and Arizona are pushing to close their state’s primaries. The Idaho GOP has filed suit to force the state of Idaho to require voters to select a party when they register. New York City’s independent mayor, Michael Bloomberg, empanelled a Charter Revision Commission to review the city’s charter. The commission is being lobbied to recommend a switch to a nonpartisan primary system for local elections. In California — where “decline to state” registration has grown from 9 percent in 1990 to 20 percent today — voters have the chance on June 8 to enact Proposition 14 and create a “top-two” voting system in which all voters and all candidates participate in first round elections, with the top two candidates advancing to the November ballot. This nonpartisan approach is being opposed by every political party — major and minor — in California. Our Constitution does not mention parties, and a new generation, comfortable with new forms of communication, at ease with new technologies and turned off by partisan dysfunction, is looking for more independent ways to participate in civic life. And by 2015, this generation could account for a full third of the electorate. America has thrived because we cherish the new, the rule breakers and the innovators. We know that Washington is broken. Let’s fix it with more than a new coat of paint. Let’s enact structural reforms to empower a new generation and incentive for them to participate. Young people are telling us they don’t want a party. We need to listen to them. — John Opdycke is the chief of staff of IndependentVoting.org, a national association of independent voters with organizations in 40 states.