TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 8/31/10

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• With Increase in Partisanship, Fewer Surprises Likely in Governors’ Races (By NATE SILVER, NY Times/FiveThirtyEight) The pattern stems in large part from the long-standing decline in the number of voters, in all types of elections, who are willing to cast ballots across partisan lines. In 1980, some 27 percent of Democrats voted for Ronald Reagan (another 6 percent voted for the independent, John B. Anderson), whereas 11 percent of Republicans voted for Jimmy Carter. This means that a total of 21 percent of partisans (voters who identify themselves as either Democrat or Republican) voted for the presidential candidate of the “opposite” party. In recent elections, however, that percentage has been halved: just 10 percent of partisans crossed party lines in the presidential election of 2000, and just 9 percent did in 2004 and 2008. 
• Zogby: Romney Beats Bloomberg, Obama (By: Brad O'Leary, NewsMax) Among independent voters, 40 percent would choose Romney and 30 percent would vote for Obama. Just 11 percent would pull the lever for Bloomberg.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Primary Concerns - Should D.C. change the way it chooses candidates? (By P.J. ORVETTI, NBC Washington) Fenty’s campaign made a last-ditch attempt to get the Board of Elections and Ethics to allow unaffiliated voters to vote in the Democratic primary, which would have upped the possible voter pool by about 72,400. That effort failed, but it did open a fresh debate about how the District chooses its elected officials.

GEORGIA

• Barnes, Deal search for ways to win independents (By Aaron Gould Sheinin, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Georgia Elections Central)
• Georgia governor's race 2010 won't be south of the 'Gnat Line' (By Matt Towery, Southern Political Report) If Barnes can push the African-American vote to anything between the 21-22 percent levels, a huge surge among independents in the greater metro-Atlanta area could make the election razor thin. Only then will his efforts “below the gnat line” help.

NEW YORK

• Bloomberg Cash Not Yet Returned (By MICHAEL HOWARD SAUL, Wall Street Journal) Mr. Messina confirmed Monday afternoon that he still has the money in his possession. "I believe that all parties are coming together in a desire to accomplish a goal, and I'm confident that that goal will be accomplished because of the good faith of the parties," said Mr. Messina, referring to the return of the allegedly stolen funds.

NYC CHARTER REVISION

• Charter-change choke (EDITORIAL NY Post) The New York City Charter Revision Commission concluded its work last week, delivering a final product that amounts to a sadly missed opportunity.
• City Is Shamed by Commission On the Revision of Its Charter (By HENRY STERN, Special to the NY Sun)