I'm an Independent Voter - Can I Vote in Tuesday's Primary in Arkansas, Kentucky or Pennsylvania ?

Tomorrow May 18, 2010, is primary day in some key states for independent voters: Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Arkansas. Lots of media including this one from Liz Halloran at NPR talking about the anti-incumbent mood in the country.

Pennsylvania primaries (thanks to FairVote for these definitions)  are closed (winners in 2008 2343 Clinton, McCain in the primary; November: Obama), meaning that only registered Dems or Repubs can vote in that party's primary. If you're an independent, you're flat outa luck. See Independent Pennsylvanians for redress!

Kentucky (Closed primaries: Clinton, McCain in primaries 2008; November: McCain) Voters of any affiliation may vote for the slate of any party (which seems to mean that independents can vote but can only vote in the party primary that they choose for that election, according to FairVote.) You might want to contact at Michael Lewis on Facebook or at Independent Kentucky.

Arkansas primaries are open except for runoff elections. Voters went for Clinton and Huckabee in the primary and for McCain in the general in 2008. (Little known fact: Arkansas is the birth state of The Hankster...)

See the Open Primaries page on The Hankster for resources!

News from Arkansas Independents!

I am recovering from a busy weekend, but it was great. Here's a rough report

Saturday I got up really early and set up a table at a local farmer's market. Here's the link to a photo on facebook (i took it on my cell phone). We registered (or re-registered) about 30 people, handed out over 100 information booklets and flyers, and got 3 people on our "sign up" sheet for future involvement. I networked with some independents at the Obama booth, and had very nice conversations with people from all over our state and surrounding states (most there for a RV Owners Convention). Today I have already noticed some increase in traffic to my blog.

Our next meeting is coming up this Thursday, Oct. 2nd. Because of an ad, I was contacted by a local campaign person from the Ralph Nader Campaign. He is coming to the meeting, and I am going to let him give a report on their efforts with ballot access and open debates, etc. He is also informing all of his volunteers about the meeting. I will attach the tentative agenda for the meeting this Saturday, to give you an idea of what I'm planning. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

So, that's the big news. My weekend also consisted of a late night visit with my sister-in-law (which allowed me to only get 4 hours of sleep before the voter registration drive), a playdate with a new family in our apartment complex, Church, and a church-friends party on Sunday night. I was so tired that I fell asleep (fully clothed, jeans and all) at 8:15 last night and didn't wake up until 7:30 this morning! My husband, bless his heart, just put the kids to bed by himself and let me sleep!

Thanks for your support!
Courtney S. Terry

Conversations on Independent Voters: Independents in Arkansas

Courtney Terry, a mom and grad student in Little Rock, Arkansas, came to independent politics because she didn't feel comfortable in a partisan world--and a world that so readily accepts poverty as a norm.

She is organizing a caucus of independents to talk about next steps and has been conducting a voter registration drive in her community.

Courtney told The Hankster that she comes from a family (from Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas) that just "doesn't feel like the partisan process includes them." "I've spoken with friends who think the third choice is always crazy," Courtney said.

Crazy? In a world gone mad, it would be crazy NOT to be crazy! --NH

Contact Courtney at courtneyterry@hotmail.com or Phone: 501-773-0877

Happy Independence Day!

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• FLORIDA: Obama Seeks Decisive Turnout (The Tampa Tribune) Independent voters, who for years have been the fastest-growing cohort in Florida, are heavily concentrated in the corridor, but could go for either McCain or Obama.
• OREGON: A Shift in Voters, but Oregon Still Embraces the Unconventional (New York Times) Oregon voters’ deepest allegiance may be to independence. The number of unaffiliated voters more than doubled in the last two decades, and many Republicans and Democrats insisted in interviews that, as Mr. Rivers, the commission chairman, put it, “I vote for issues and the person.”

THE PARTIES

• GOP struggles to reinvent without losing itself-The party agrees it must change or face catastrophe in November. (Los Angeles Times)
• Primary trouble for both parties (The Digest, Patriot Post) Republicans chose a middle ground, punishing Michigan and Florida for moving their primary dates by cutting delegates from those two states in half. The Democrats, in a completely undemocratic response, left 100 percent of the votes in those two states uncounted.

OPEN PRIMARIES
ARKANSAS: Primaries Lack Big Attractions (THE MORNING NEWS) This year, however, there is no legal bar to voting in the Republican presidential primary in February and the Democratic primary for state and local officials.