More Hankster News of the Day for Independent Voters - June 11

• With Political Polarization at All-Time High, Americans Say 'Listen to Me' (TRANSCRIPT PBS NewsHour - Judy Woodruff, Andrew Kohut, Linda Killian and others) ANDREW KOHUT: Almost all of the increase that we see occurred not gradually over the past 25 years, but in the past 10 years, that is to say during the administrations of George W. Bush and now Barack Obama.
• Hyper-partisanship dragging down nation (By John Avlon, CNN Contributor) It's not your imagination: Our politics are more polarized than at any point in recent history. That's the conclusion of a new survey from the indispensable Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. And if you needed more evidence of the passionate and sometimes poisonous polarization afflicting our nation, you didn't have to look further than the crowds in Wisconsin on Tuesday night after the recall attempt.
• Why Everyone Under 40 Should Be an Independent Voter (Bill Hillsman, Huffington Post) It's sad to say, but if you're under 40, you've probably never experienced functional American politics since the time you started to pay attention to politics... if you pay attention to politics. (And it's hard to blame you if you don't).
• Politics 2012: Partisanship at 20 paces (United Press International, Equities.com) Independents also have become more diverse since 2000, with 67 percent of independents saying they are non-Hispanic whites, down 12 percentage points from 2000. The proportion of independents who are Hispanic has nearly doubled -- from 9 percent to 16 percent -- in the same period.
• Open primary 'business as usual,' observers say (Stephanie Snyder - North County Times/California Watch) "It's business as usual," said Scott Lay, a political blogger and Community College League of California president and CEO. "If you look at the actual results in most districts, it could have been a regular primary." Although the strict definition of moderate, liberal and conservative often is difficult to pinpoint, in some races it was clear that the most ideological candidates advanced to November. That was the case in the Assembly districts that cover San Bernardino County and Irvine.
  GOP Lawmakers Sue Redistricting Commission (Story By Andrea Kelly, Arizona Public Media) In the lawsuit, the top Republicans in the Arizona House and Senate say the Redistricting Commission is in violation of the U.S. Constitution because it removes part of the Legislature’s authority to conduct congressional elections.
• The Rise of the independent voter revolution and what Arizona can learn from California Open Primary elections (by Dee Dee Garcia Blase, Tucson Citizen) The California Open Primaries has helped a much needed Mexican-American candidate of California via Abel Maldonado.  I like Abel.  He didn’t demonize Mexican immigrants in order to get ahead and am especially glad to see more Mexican-American leadership. WITH JASON OLSON'S ARTICLE
• IndependentVoting.org pleased with independent candidate Mike Stauffer shedding light for open primaries (by Dee Dee Garcia Blase, Tucson Citizen) Dear Mike, I was very pleased to learn that you are a strong supporter of the Top Two Open Primary initiative, and wish you luck in your independent campaign for Maricopa County Sheriff. As you know, Independentvoting.org is a training and strategy center for the growing independent movement, working with independents around the country in support of structural political reforms that can bring more nonpartisan governance. We have been actively supporting the Top Two Open Primary initiative organized by the Open Elections/Open Government coalition.
• Redistricting lawsuit a slap in your face (Laurie Roberts, Arizona Republic) Politics is still front and center in the process. (It was probably naive to think that the parties -- both parties -- would behave themselves and butt out.) And clearly the committee is too small for today's Arizona, underrepresenting the independents who comprise a third of the state's electorate. But it's still better than having congressional and legislative districts drawn in the basement of the Capitol by legislators who, let's face it, have a lot riding on where those lines are drawn.
• Results of poll help to explain partisanship (Yuma Sun) The latest party registration numbers from the Office of the Arizona Secretary of State, which oversees Arizona election procedures, showed a similar breakdown as those recorded by the Pew center. According to numbers issued in March, there were 1,134,094 active Republicans registered in the state, 952,907 Democrats and 1,037,007 “other” — which means they claimed no preferred party and are therefore considered independent voters. A number of other minor political parties totaled less than 30,000.
• Kathleen Curry, Former Colorado Legislator Who Switched to Independent and was Barred from the Ballot, Will Try Again (Ballot Access News) She is running as an independent again this year, and she should have no trouble getting on the ballot.
• US Federal Justice Department Steps in to Stop Florida Voter Purge (By Timothy Troutner, IVN) The truth is somewhere in between, and it is not comforting. Election laws are not the unmovable guidelines voters believe them to be. They are tools in the hands of the party in power. Right now, the Republicans hold the power in Florida, and the Democrats hold the power at the Justice Department. This dispute is not about fair and just elections; it is about the power to determine who can vote. The reason the Florida voter purge is so contested is that it may affect the outcome of the election. Independent voters and voters in general are left behind as the two parties battle it out.
• King counts on Independent status to propel him to victory in November (Written by Craig Lyons,
  Portland ME Daily Sun) King said if Snowe left office to travel or try a new career, he wouldn't have thought much of it. But, he said, since she left because of the political climate in Washington, and complaints of partisan division, he couldn't sit back and do nothing.
  Given that partisanship has contributed significantly to the deadlock in Washington, King said he's in a unique position as an Independent.
• Primaries not energizing voters - Absentee ballot numbers suggest a very low turnout, even though U.S. Senate finalists are being chosen. (By John Richardson, State House Bureau, Maine Sunday Telegram) Although voters may still be trying to make up their minds, some election officials say the public just doesn't seem interested in the state and congressional primaries, even though Tuesday's vote is the first step in electing Maine's next U.S. senator. Ten Democrats and Republicans are on the ballots seeking their party's nomination for the seat.
• Is This Maine Independent the Solution to Our Partisan Woes? (By David Rohde, The Atlantic) King, a former Democrat who now rejects both Republican and Democratic dogma, is either an anachronism or a sign that some voters are tiring of partisanship. Keep in mind that a record number of Americans -- 40 percent -- identified themselves as independent in a January Gallup poll; 31 percent identified as Democrats and 27 percent as Republicans.
• Hakeem Jeffries Says 'No, Thank You' to Bloomberg-Backed Charter School PAC (By Jamie Schuh, Bed-Stuy Patch) Jeffries campaign spokeswoman Lupe Todd told the Daily News today that their campaign doesn’t believe that groups like StudentsFirstNY, which is run by a former Albany lobbyist for Mayor Bloomberg, should be involved in the race at all.