TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 9/14/10

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Independent Voters In N.C. Hold The Power (Written by Bruce Ferrell, North Carolina News Network)
• Crist appeals to Democrats, independents in new ads (From CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby) For Crist to win in November, he must win something close to a majority of independent voters while also peeling off substantial portions of Democratic votes from Rep. Kendrick Meek and GOP votes from former House Speaker Marco Rubio.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Delaware politics: State's elections can get quirky - From late primaries to arcane laws, Del.'s process is unique (By J.L. MILLER, The News Journal) Delaware's closed primary system gives a boost to motivated voters. Democrats vote in Democratic primaries, Republicans vote in Republican primaries, and the 146,212 voters who aren't Democrats or Republicans -- 23.5 percent of the electorate -- are shut out of the primary process. That might seem odd to people from Texas, South Carolina and the 22 other states with open primaries, where all voters have a say in who winds up on the ballot in November. Delaware State University political science professor Sam Hoff said the closed primary "may seem strange to some," but that it shows Delaware has "a pretty strong, durable party system."

TUESDAY PRIMARIES

• Delaware not the only Tea Party vs. GOP battle Tuesday (By Paul Steinhauser, CNN Deputy Political Director) Palin's endorsement earlier this summer and Ayotte's support by many national Republicans may have backfired in fiercely independent New Hampshire. The moves have drawn repeated criticism by the Union Leader.
• Bill Clinton in Minneapolis For Dayton Fundraiser (by Tom Halden / FOX 9 News) While it’s possible another Independent could win the race outright, at least one analyst doesn’t see this as a repeat of 1992, when Independent Ross Perot took votes from President George H.W. Bush, launching then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton into the White House. "More of the Democrats, the moderate Democrats, they're going to tilt more toward Horner,” University of Minnesota Prof. Larry Jacobs said. “And if Horner was not in the race, they'd be voting for Dayton.”
•  http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/politics/bill-clinton-dayton-fundraiser-minneapolis-sept-14-2010
• * Granite Status: Polls show Republican U.S. Senate primary race dead heat (By JOHN DISTASO, Senior Political Reporter, Union Leader) Lamontagne's show of strength among independents counters conventional wisdom that in New Hampshire, such voters are generally more moderate than traditional Republican voters.It appears that in this election, independents are in fact conservatives who appear to have been disenfranchised from a GOP they apparently see as part of the problem in Washington.
• Time to vote - Anger aside, voters should seek character (EDITORIAL Worcester News Telegram) Independent voters hold the balance of power in their hands, both today and on Nov. 2. However angry they may be at incumbents, or however dismissive of a political newcomer, we think democracy is best served when voters cast their ballots on the basis of qualifications, not party affiliation.
• Candidates Eschewing Party Labels in New Hampshire's U.S. Senate Campaign (By Tom Moroney, Bloomberg News) In New Hampshire, the preponderance of undeclared or independent voters offers another reason for candidates to play down their party affiliation, Hodes said. Undeclared voters number 388,220, compared with 267,725 Democrats and 266,077 Republicans, according to Secretary of State Bill Gardner’s website. The unaffiliated voters can vote in the primary of their choice.
• Tea Party primary wins in Delaware and New Hampshire could ruin GOP chances of Senate takeover (BY ALIYAH SHAHID, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER)
• Primary Day in Rhode Island: How to vote, get results (Providence Journal/Newsblog) The largest slice of Rhode Island voters is made up of independents -- or "unaffiliated" voters -- and they can vote in either the Democratic or Republican primaries Tuesday.
• A ‘Shoo-In’ Struggles in Massachusetts Race (By ABBY GOODNOUGH, NY Times) One theory is that Mr. Baker, a Harvard graduate who seems most comfortable talking policy, lacks the populist touch that came naturally to the truck-driving Mr. Brown and that independent voters, who make up 51 percent of the electorate here, seem to crave.
• A primer on today's primary (By LaCross Tribune - WI) This is an open primary, meaning voters are not required to declare a party before voting. What is the most common error voters make when voting in the primary? Cross voting. For instance, you choose to vote Republican and then down on the ballot you vote for an individual Democrat. Voters may only vote for candidates of one party.
• Primary Election Day: Please Vote! (Bostonist (blog) Barney Frank has a primary opponent, who he chose to debate, you might have heard of in the 4th District Race. Rachel Brown once clashed with Frank after she compared health care reform to Naziism.

COLORADO

• Incumbents in local contests lead early money race (John Stroud, Post Independent) Curry, who left the Democratic Party last December to become an independent, lost a legal challenge to have her name included on the Nov. 2 ballot. Curry reported $16,715 in new campaign funds during the most recent reporting period from July 29 through Sept. 1, including a $10,000 loan, and $6,715 in contributions.
• Independent Voters for Colorado A statewide strategy, communications, and organizing center working to connect and empower those in the state of Colorado who identify themselves as independent or unaffiliated voters. 

NYC CHARTER REVISION

• Term Limits in New York (LETTER NY Times by Matthew Goldstein)