- Independent voters have shaped the 2008 Presidential Election (DAKOTA 21)
- More R.I. voters register as Democrats (Providence Journal) Independents down from 55% to 48%
REFORM: Oregon Measure 65 would help independent voters in Oregon
- Voting experiment might come to Oregon (The Oregonian) Minor parties like that the Top 2 system improves their access to the ballot. They no longer need to gather 1,000 signatures or hold a convention to qualify. But that better access is only to the primary ballot, which attracts less attention and fewer voters than the general election.
- Wash. voters to try new open primary on Tuesday (KTVZ Central Oregon) Political parties are expected to oppose the measure.
CAMPAIGN
- Democrats gather picnic, politics (Havasu News Herald) But independent voters are gaining ground – almost 30,000 voters have not declared a party affiliation – and Dave Tunnell of Lake Havasu City said that’s good news for the Democrats.
- Campaigns connect online and in person (St. Petersburg Times) Social networking and political campaigning...
- How Democrats can mine the West-The party's message appeals to the region's growing population of independents. (By Ken Salazar, LA Times)
LOCAL INDEPENDENT NEWS
- Tilling the soil of the Texas political landscape (By: Harvey Kronberg, News Austin 8) Almost one third of this once bedrock GOP community now consider themselves as politically independent.
- Mayor Bloomberg on Virginia ballot as candidate for President (NY Daily News)
3 comments:
You are simply not aware of the actual content of Oregon's Measure 65. It will remove access to the general election ballot for all minor parties and independent candidates. It is vehemently opposed by all minor parties in Oregon. The notion that it helps minor parties is wrong.
Dan -- thanks so much for your comment. With all due respect, it's not that I'm not aware of the content of Measure 65, it's that I care more about involving voters than parties (including minor parties)in the democratic process.
I am a strong supporter of independent parties (in fact, I am the Secretary of the Queens County Committee of the Independence Party of New York. And just by the way, we allow non-partisans to vote in our primaries!)
As a registered Independence Party member, I call on minor parties (Libertarian, Reform, Independence, Green, etc. etc.) to support independent voters in this matter.
I think this is an issue of democracy.
Dan is overstating the case a bit. The Working Families party supports M65, and the Independent Party of Oregon is split on the measure and will not take a position.
The Libertarians and Greens don't like it because they are more interested in running protest candidates than they are winning races.
I disagree with his analysis that M65 will remove general election ballot access for Independents and other minor parties. 44 percent of all legislative races are currently not contested, and the Republicans did not field a candidate in 2 out of the 5 statewide races (AG, Labor Comissioner) during this cycle.
As someone who has spent some time recruiting candidates, I would much rather play by the same rules that the major parties play under.
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