The Hankster: TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 7/20/10

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Research desk responds: How partisan are 'independent' voters? (By Dylan Matthews, Washington Post/Ezra Klein) Political scientists Donald Green and Alan Gerber found that phonebanking and door-to-door canvassing have a statistically significant effect on voter turnout. They're expensive -- $29 and $38 per vote, respectively -- but they can work. Campaigns, then, can choose whether to spend more resources turning out their base in this way, or to try to gain the support of the few pure independent voters who could be swayed by more centrist policies.
Election 2010: Board of Elections invalidates Baltimore City independent voters (Baltimore Campaign Finance Examiner, Chet Dembeck) Board of Elections told independent voters that the party had been invalidated and that they would have just two weeks to change their "independent" affiliation to Democrat or Republican -- otherwise the state would automatically designate them as "unaffiliated."
Maryland invalidates independent voters (By J. Taylor Rushing, The Hill/Ballot Box)

GALLUP POLL

Democrats Jump Into Six-Point Lead on Generic Ballot (by Lydia Saad, Gallup)
Democrats retake lead in generic ballot (Chris Cillizza, EXCERPT Washington Post/The Fix) The reason for Democrats' upward movement in the poll appears to be independent voters where Republicans now hold a four point generic edge (43 percent to 39 percent), a major drop from Gallup polling earlier this month that showed the GOP with a 14-point margin.
Dems Gain Generic Edge After Reform Bill (By Reid Wilson, National Journal/Hotline)
Democrats take generic ballot lead (By ANDY BARR, Politico)
Gallup: Dems Take 6-Point Lead In Generic Ballot (By Kyle Trygstad, RealClearPolitics)
Generic Congressional Ballot: Republicans 45%, Democrats 36% (Rasmussen Reports)

OPEN PRIMARIES

GEORGIA

KENTUCKY

PENNSYLVANIA

Independents crucial to Dems' election prospects (By LIZ SIDOTI (AP) Stephen Bouikidis, a founder of the grass-roots organization Independent Pennsylvanians, says it's unfulfilled promises of bipartisanship that influence the state's 1 million independents. "We are very interested in candidates who want to reform. But what we won't respond to is partisanship," he says.
NOTE: This story was picked up by CBS News, Huffington Post, The Examiner, US News & World Report, and msnbc.com http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38306714/ns/politics-decision_2010 ....
Check out Independent Pennsylvanians here

NEW YORK

New anti-Dem group would mean business (Fredric U. Dicker, EXCLUSIVE, NY Post) Democrats took control of the Senate last year with strong backing from the WFP, but hold only a one-vote majority. Whoever controls the Senate next year will play a key role in overseeing legislative redistricting, and Senate President Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) has vowed to redraw the district lines to wipe out the GOP.
Will party's support be liability? - Republicans look to tie Democrats to Working Families Party's woes (By RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau, Albany Times Union)

NYC CHARTER REVISION

Panel Mulls Pros, Cons Of Partisan Primaries (By: Grace Rauh, NY1) "A million five New Yorkers are disenfranchised from voting in the most decisive elections that affect them and their representative government," said Dick Dadey of Citizens Union.
Call To Charter Commission: Do More (By Jarrett Murphy, City Limits)
John Avlon to Charter Revision Commission: Yes on Top Two Open Primary for NYC - VIDEO
Dick Dadey, Citizens Union: Yes on Top Two Open Primary for NYC - VIDEO

The Hankster