TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Important independent voters share common goals for U.S. (The Tennessean) Who are the independents? One of them is writer Marcia Ford, and she'll tell you: "Ideologically, we run the gamut from right-wing fundies to radical lefties, from pro-abortion conservatives to anti-gay-marriage liberals, from embarrassed ex-Republicans to disillusioned ex-Democrats, from Catholic, mainline Protestant and evangelical Christians to religious and secular Jews to Buddhists and the ever popular 'highly spiritual' types.''
• NC: Voter registration ending Friday (St. Paul's Review The Robesonian) There are 52,809 registered Democrats in Robeson County, 7,511 Republicans, and 8,707 Unaffiliated (Independent) voters registered in Robeson.
• NC: Unaffiliated voters flood election rolls (Watauga Democrat) In September, 3,484 people registered in Watauga County and nearly half, or 1,588, were unaffiliated — compared to 891 Democrats, 992 Republicans and 13 Libertarians.

OREGON OPEN PRIMARY Measure 65

• Measure 65, ending partisan primaries in Oregon, raises lots of questions (The Oregonian) The open primary system "lets everybody vote for the best candidate."
• Gronke, Kiesling square off in Measure 65 debate (Politicker OR)
• Dancer would make office nonpartisan- Secretary of state candidate spoke at Linn Republican Women luncheon (Albany Democrat-Herald)

CAMPAIGN

• FOX NEWS POLL: OBAMA 46, McCAIN 39 (FOXNews) Independents split their vote 34 percent Obama and 32 percent McCain, with 24 percent unsure.
• 10/10/08 FOX News Poll: The Candidates and Character (FOXNews) among the critical bloc of independent voters, more think Obama puts his campaign first (44 percent) rather than his country (41 percent). Independents have no such qualms about McCain — 55 percent think he puts country over campaign.

NEW YORK POLITICS/INDEPENDENCE PARTY

• Democrats Are Gaining in State, Registration Data Shows (NY Times) Republican officials said that they were used to running — and winning — in an overwhelmingly Democratic state, and played down the significance of the enrollment trends. Voters, they said, would choose the candidate, not the party, and were attuned to the Republican message of lower taxes and balanced government. Moreover, all of the Republican candidates in close Senate races have been cross-endorsed by New York’s Independence Party, which has seen significant growth in recent years.
• Mayor Plans an $80 Million Campaign (NY Times)