TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS Voters are starting to sway from hesitation over third-party candidates (Daily Titan Cal State) States are seeing the two major parties affiliation declining in rank as they witness independent voter affiliations soar.NOTE: This article correctly identifies the Reform candidate as Ted Weill.

OPEN PRIMARIES Party lines detrimental to electoral process (The Telescope - CA) Checking the box on the voter registration form declaring a political party should be removed completely.

CAMPAIGN

• An endless campaign ends for NH voters (By JOHN DISTASO, New Hampshire Union Leader) Today's election will shed further light on the political makeup of the Granite State. Traditionally fiscally conservative, the state turned Democratic blue in 2006 as independents turned from the Republicans to the Democrats.
• Local professor offers insight into today's presidential election (Aiken Standard SC) Push polls that introduce something negative into the campaign can work, Botsch said. In 2000, calls from the Bush campaign against McCain in the South Carolina primary lifted Bush to victory and galvanized his candidacy. The effect can be to depress voter turnout by getting independent voters discouraged.
• Mason-Dixon poll says presidential race still tight in Virginia-As in the Doug Wilder race, a large number of voters remain undecided, pollsters say. (Roanoke Times) Obama does have a 50 percent to 39 percent advantage among independent voters, according to the poll.
• Montana Presidential race a tossup (Montana's News Station) Obama's lead comes by virtue of his 48%-40% advantage with independent voters in the state.

BLOOMBERG/TERM LIMITS A Packed House (Daily News/Daily Politics) Public gathers to speak about Mayor overturning term limits; Also on hand: Lenora Fulani, the controversial Independence Party member who is exploring a mayoral run of her own next fall and could be an impediment to Bloomberg if he decides to seek Row C.