TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 5/10/10

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Analysis: Lawmakers backing elections shift (By MELINDA DESLATTE Associated Press Writer, Daily Comet LaFourche Parish)
• All should vote in primary (LETTER Rutland Herald VT)
• Home rule charter can improve representation (Rick Kimball, Oregon Statesman Journal) Nonpartisan elections remove the political party primary filter and will deliver a wider range of candidates, elected by more people since non-affiliated voters can vote in the primary. I care about what a candidate can bring to the board of commissioners, not what political party they belong to.

PROP 14

• TODAY: Richard Winger to Debate California Lt. Gov. Maldonado on Proposition 14 (Independent Political Report)
• Editorial: Prop. 14: Open invitation to bland candidates (THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER) When the Democratic and Republican parties agree on a policy matter in California it is often a red flag for liberty-minded voters. But with every rule there is an exception, and this election cycle that exception is Proposition 14, the California Top Two Primary Act, aimed at ending the primary election system as we know it, replacing it with a process that would hinder electoral choices and encourage lackluster, Schwarzenegger-esque candidates. Under Prop. 14, voters could vote for any candidate regardless of party affiliation, a change from the current practice of voting in primaries only for candidates of the party in which you are registered, with a few exceptions. In effect, Prop 14 would create a single open primary. . From there, the top two overall vote getters advance to a runoff general election. This means in some election cycles, depending on the area and voter registration, the general election could yield two Democrats or two Republicans facing off against each other for a single seat, diminishing party roles and clear, decisive policy and philosophical differences between candidates.
• Editorial: June 8 Primary: Proposition round-up (THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER) 
• Why Los Angeles should care about Proposition 14 (LA Anti-Establishment Examiner, Charles Nichols)
• Legislative Lock: Evans, Allen benefit from Wiggins' connections (By DEREK MOORE, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT) Both Allen and Evans are opposed to open primaries, saying they don't want voters from other political parties to have a say in choosing which Democrat goes forward.... Sanders also supports Proposition 14, which would allow for open primaries.

UTAH

• Utah League of Independent Voters Launches Online Debate for Candidates in 3rd Congressional District (Poli-Tea)

COLORADO

• Democrats See Hopes for West Dim in Colorado (By JEFF ZELENY, NY Times)
• Brown: A rebel without a party (By Fred Brown, The Denver Post) She is, for now, the only officially unaffiliated member of the Colorado General Assembly. Rep. Kathleen Curry, former Democrat, still of Gunnison, doesn't regret her decision, but sometimes she wonders if both major parties are reluctant to see her succeed... "I'm on the leading edge of this," she said; it's an experiment of sorts to see if an unaffiliated legislator can still get things done for her district. "I truly believe I can," Curry said. "I'm literally plowing new ground here. There's no road map."

KENTUCKY

• Ky. Poll: Beshear should fear Farmer in '11 (By Jack Brammer, Lexington Herald Leader - KY) Among independent voters, 42 percent selected Beshear and 29 percent chose Farmer. Twenty-nine percent were undecided.

GOVERNORS RACES

• Restore vets' voting rights (LETTER Casper Star Tribune Wyoming) 1988 Wyoming Congressional candidate on New Alliance Party line Al Hamburg will run for gov as a Dem.
• MINNESOTA'S INDEPENDENCE PARTY ENDORSES TOM HORNER IN GUBERNATORIAL RACE (Northland News Center)

NYC CHARTER REVISION

• Changing Charter without strings (By Greg David, Crain's New York) In the end, the Charter proposals will likely be on term limits and on nonpartisan elections, to be accompanied by radical changes to encourage more participation. Early voting, mail voting and same-day registration would all make the nonpartisan option more attractive.
• Charter chair needed convincing (By Tom Wrobleski, Staten Island Advance) “I said, ‘What?’” Goldstein said. “This was not something I was anxious to do since I have an awful lot on my plate to begin with. But I said, ‘Look, if I can be helpful to you, I’d be pleased to do it.’ And I continue to be pleased to do it.”

NEW YORK

• Cuomo Ready To Take WFP, Independence Lines (By Edward-Isaac Dovere, City Hall News) “Every candidate is supremely interested in running on the Independence line,” Connolly said. “I think it’s a combination of the raw vote that can be garnered and a product of the name ‘Independence,’ that in this climate, you can maximize.” 
• Mastro Aims To Haul Data & Field Services Back To Court (By Edward-Isaac Dovere, City Hall News)