Voters Demand for Open Primaries Increases Nationally

NONPARTISANS/ OPEN PRIMARIES

• We’ve moved away from political parties. Should government, too? (Bangor Daily News) For Jacqueline Salit, the structures used in almost every state to elect state officials, then to parse out power in state legislatures, perpetuate the power of political parties to run the system rather than act as engaged participants. Salit managed independent Michael Bloomberg’s three campaigns for mayor of New York City. Today, she is president of IndependentVoting.org and she’s trying to mobilize independents around political system reforms.
• Sunday: Tulsa’s ‘nonpartisan’ election format unlikely to seem that way in the near future (Tulsa World) “We all know that they’re Democrats and Republicans; that’s not the point,” he said. “The point is you run the two top candidates in the finals, and they may be both in same party or not.”
• Maryland GOP holds off on idea of opening primaries to independent voters (John Wagner, Washington Post) “I think that as a Republican party in Maryland, we need to do everything we can to reach out to new voters,” Katie Nash, a Maryland GOP activist who favors making a change, said outside the convention hall Saturday.
• An open primary would benefit Alaska (LETTER By Eric Treider, Soldotna, Peninsula Clarion) Washington, California and Louisiana currently enjoy the benefits of open primaries. The citizens love it and the party bosses hate it so you know it’s got to be good.

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
Morning Consult Poll Results on Politics of Healthcare Reform Shows Shift in Independent Voters (Sac Bee/ The Morning Consult) The poll reveals a significant shift in Independent voters heading into a midterm election year. 58% of independent voters now trust Republicans more on handling healthcare. Among all registered voters, President Obama receives a lot of the blame from more than 50% of respondents for the insurance cancellations, and over 60% say the president deserves a lot of the blame for the insurance exchange challenges. 

Hankster News for Independent Voters - January 26

The Top Two open primary system implemented for the first time in 2011is helping people leave the parties in California... Illinois struggles with a closed partisan primary system and Bill Daley (cand for Gov?) promotes top two... University of New Hampshire study of voter attitudes about climate change classifies independents as weather-sensitive... (really?) Read on!

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Abel Maldonado, author of California's Top Two

• Elias: Voter registrations show parties just don't get it (Thomas D. Elias, Ventura County Star) All of which explains why changes like the "top two" primary system, adopted via ballot initiative in 2010 and used for the first time last year, are so popular. Anything depriving the major parties of some influence or promising more independent politicians will draw significant, often majority, support here.
• Md. voters favor assault weapons ban (DelmarvaNow.com) Slightly more than half of Democrats say stricter gun laws will do more to reduce school violence, and the same 52 percent of Republicans say armed guards are the better option. Independent voters slightly favor stricter laws.

OPEN PRIMARIES
Why Daley's Primary Plan Would Violate Federal Law (By Edward McClelland, NBC Chicago) Bill Daley’s plan to do away with partisan primaries could potentially create three election days in Illinois. Daley said Illinois should consider a system similar to that used in Chicago’s municipal elections -- any candidate who gets 50 percent of the vote in the primary avoids a runoff in the general election. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent, the top two candidates, regardless of party, advance to the general election.

LAST WORD

• Climate Change Beliefs of Independent Voters Shift With the Weather (Science Daily) "We find that over 10 surveys, Republicans and Democrats remain far apart and firm in their beliefs about climate change. Independents fall in between these extremes, but their beliefs appear weakly held -- literally blowing in the wind. Interviewed on unseasonably warm days, independents tend to agree with the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change. On unseasonably cool days, they tend not to," Hamilton and Stampone say.
• Among Independent voters, belief in climate change actually shifts with the weather (Robert T. Gonzalez, ion "We come from the future") Temperature effects concentrate among one subgroup, however: individuals who identify themselves as Independent, rather than aligned with a political party. Interviewed on unseasonably warm days, Independents tend to agree with the scientific consensus regarding anthropogenic climate change. On unseasonably cool days, they tend not to.

I'm an Independent Voter - Can I Vote in the Primary in Maryland?

No! You have to be affiliated with a party. From About Baltimore:

Maryland's primary elections are usually closed, meaning that only voters affiliated with a party may vote in that party's primary. So independent voters and voters registered in a party that does not have a primary may not vote in another party's primary. However, in 2000 the Maryland Republican Party held an open primary.
The deadline to change from one party to another or to change to or from unaffiliated or independent status is 9 p.m. on the Monday 12 weeks prior to the primary election. This does not apply to voters who have moved from one Maryland jurisdiction to another since the last general election. These voters have until three weeks before the primary.

See IndependentVoting.org

• Many candidates but few fireworks in Maryland's congressional primaries (By Ben Pershing, Washington Post) "Regardless of who wins the Republican primary, we are confident voters will agree that the only way to fix Washington is to elect representatives with the independence to make decisions based on facts and common sense, not on politics," said Kratovil campaign manager Jessica Klonsky.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 8/5/10

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Afghan War Looms As Electoral Problem (John Zogby, Forbes) Democratic and independent voters are most skeptical about the Afghan War, making it a potentially huge electoral problem for Obama.
• Blacks & Whites Divided on President Obama's Approval Rating; First Lady Rates High (Posted by Bridgette Outten, Politic365)
• Blacks and Whites Continue to Differ Sharply on Obama (by Frank Newport, Gallup)

OPEN PRIMARIES

• The Complications of Tennessee’s Primary Voting System (By Jesse Fox Mayshark, Knoxville News Sentinel/MetroPulse) Tennessee is an "open primary" state where unaffilated voters can choose a primary ballot, however, A separate section of the code allows for a challenge to any voter’s right to participate in a primary, “on grounds of party membership.” In other words, if you want to vote in the Republican primary, but somebody thinks you are not really a Republican, you could theoretically be blocked from casting a ballot. 
• Crossover voting law muddies primary waters (By Michael Cass, THE TENNESSEAN) Tennessee's party primaries are open to all comers, creating openings for opposition-party maneuvering that could skew results and scramble the state's political landscape.
• EDITORIAL: Primary is next Tuesday; here's a primer (Hutchinson MN Leader) In Minnesota, we have what’s called an open primary. Voters receive one ballot listing candidates of all parties — but they must remember to vote for candidates of only one party. Selecting candidates from more than one party will disqualify a ballot. We prefer open primaries because voters should be able to chose the best candidate in privacy. Asking an election judge for a specific party’s ballot greatly diminishes that privacy.
• Missouri Vote Repudiates Healthcare Law (By: Sean Lengell, NewsMax) In Missouri's open primaries, voters do not have to register their party affiliation, and far more people picked Republican ballots than Democratic ones Tuesday.
• State should adopt open primaries (LETTER Lower Hudson Valley) Let's get a petition of our own going. Let's call for open primaries in New York state. This will allow every registered voter to vote in any one primary of their choosing. Twenty five states have some form of this system. Let's put an end to the smoky backroom deals that pre-select our local officials and make a mockery of the Democratic process.

THIRD PARTIES

• MD: Independent Party is no more in Md.- Some voters will become unaffiliated unless they act (By ALAN BRODY, Southern Maryland News) The state board voted on June 3 to dissolve the Independent Party due to its dormant campaign finance account, leaving all those previously registered with the party free to change their registration to one of the five recognized political parties (Democratic, Republican, Green, Libertarian and Constitution) or do nothing and be classified as unaffiliated.
• OR: Independents choose Bruun over Schrader for Congress (BY KARA HANSEN, The West Linn Tidings)

CONNECTICUT

• Independents flocking to Linda McMahon in Connecticut Senate race (By Felicia Sonmez, Washington Post/The Fix)

NEW YORK

• Maltese BoE Candidacy Likely To Swing Top Job To Democrats (By Edward-Isaac Dovere, City Hall News)

NYC CHARTER REVISION

• Charter Staffer Outreach To BoE Becomes Flashpoint For Commissioner Dispute (By Edward-Isaac Dovere, City Hall News) Scissura said, when informed of the call. “It just goes to the fact that unfortunately, the executive director of the commission has misused the great talents of 15 great commissioners. And that’s something I’m really saddened by.”
• Councilman Would Love Three Terms For City Pension (Gothamist)
• Councilman Not Shy About Retiring (By MICHAEL HOWARD SAUL, Wall Street Journal) Howard Rubenstein, a spokesman for Ron Lauder, who led the movement to introduce term limits in the city, said officials "should serve because they love and want to help the city and not because of personal gain through their pension."

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Newsweek's Jonathan Alter has some interesting observations about independents, open primaries and power in the American electoral system... Must Reading for independent voters!!!

• While waiting at JFK in New York on part of my relaxing 12-hour flight to Ft. Myers Florida last week (more about that later!), I had trouble logging in to the webcast of the American Citizens' Summit hosted by the Transpartisan Alliance, but here's a Green Party press release and a post by Ordinary Person  and by Georgia Independents that gives you a sense of the participation.
  

• Tennessee state legislature entertains partisan registration bill -- would you want these people telling you what party you belong to???
  
• Dan Walters' on the rise of independent voters and the prospect of open primaries in California
  
• South Dakota legislature gives parties rights to closed primaries -- are they horse trading with voters' rights?
  
• Greg Mitchell, editor of Editor and Publisher, has a new book out "Why Obama Won", noting effect of independent voters
  
• Barry Rascover in Maryland nails the problem with the Repubs, doesn't get the trend: Independents voted for Obama, but that doesn't make us Dems...
  

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Independents Unite (Frederick News Post) Free State Independents
• McCain and the black vote (Washington Times) If Mr. McCain wants to rebrand himself and the party, he can't do so in lieu of addressing its base of black conservative and independent voters who are swaying toward Mr. Obama.
• Obama's Independents Problem (US News & World Report)
• E-mail attacks show 'Net's campaign power (UPI)
• Obama ‘within reach’ as historic nomination nears (St. Louis American) He also has more independent voters backing him than McCain, holding a solid 48 percent to 32 percent margin.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• What Hillary Wants (By Eugene Robinson, Washington Post)
• "WILL THIS BE THE LAST TRULY PARTISAN PRIMARY?" (Santa Monica Mirror)

POLLS

• Swing State Polls Have Bad News for Obama (Politico) tracking the independent vote
• New Poll Finds Big Shift Toward Obama-Californians give Obama a significant edge over Clinton and McCain (US News & World Report)

FEATURE

• The Fall of Conservatism, Have the Republicans run out of ideas? (by George Packer-New York Magazine)

FEATURE 2

• Independents Talk About Obama (with poll for independents) (by Free Spirit - Daily Kos) Excerpt from Talk/Talk with Fred Newman and Jacqueline Salit

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

UPCOMING DEM PRIMARIES here

PENNSYLVANIA: Independents have until March 24 to re-register to vote in the Dem primary -- 92,000 indies in Philadelphia alone... (Philadelphia Daily News) and here (Elmira Star-Gazette) and here (Allentown Morning Call)

TEXAS: Obama may win the delegate count from the caucuses (Houston Chronicle) * Obama camp claims TX delegate victory (MSNBC)

MARYLAND: Obama beats McCain in Maryland by 14 points, twice Clinton's predicted margin, courtesy of independents and Republicans.... (Southern Maryland Headline News)

INDIANA: Open primary on May 6 -- independents vote here (Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette)

NEW COALITION: Obama poised to forge new coalition of Blacks and Hispanics (Chicago Defender)

FLORIDA INDEPENDENCE PARTY: Peter Allen started in 1988 with Write to Secede - a local fight over septic tanks.... (Observer News Tampa Bay)

CALIFORNIA: Sinister initiative plan by right-wing activists in California to win votes for McCain (Sacramento News Review)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

HANKSTER LEDE: Black Presidential Candidates Before Obama (US News & World Report)


WASHINGTON INDEPENDENT VOTERS:

• Nation's two-party vice leads to needless frustration (Kate Riley, Seattle Times)
• Only hardliners will make 'oath' (HeraldNet Letter)
• Protests, ‘oops’ letters follow voting (Takoma News Tribune)
• Sound Off: Caucus numbers not so great (Whidbey News Times)
• Ballots roll in for primary race (The Olympian)
• Presidential primary too frustrating and confusing (By the Editorial Board of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin)
• Disaffected voters will decide (Douglas E. Schoen, Inside Bay Area)
• Primary confuses, interests state voters (Seattle Times)

ARIZONA INDEPENDENTS: BACK ON THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN TRAIL (Dunning Letter)

PENNSYLVANIA INDEPENDENTS: Primary election laws unfair to independents (Morning Call - Allentown PA)

MARYLAND INDEPENDENTS: Fix the Maryland Primary to include indpendent voters (Diamondback Online (Univ of MD)


WISCONSIN INDEPENDENTS:

• Independents have clout, if not cohesion (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) WiGIV: Independents aren't just prevalent, moreover. They're powerful.
• How Wisconsin's historic open primary was temporarily closed (Wisconsin Technology Network)

THE CAMPAIGN: Hillary Clinton and neocons use the same playbook against Barack Obama (Michael Goodwin, NY Daily News)

BLOOMBERG: The establishment's stooge (By David Sirota, Seattle Times)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

HANKSTER LEDE: An Independent Shut Out Of A Defining Choice (Hartford Courant)

MARYLAND: Confusion, bad weather and late starts plague primary voting (Business Gazette MD) independents show up to vote, turned away

LOUISIANA: Congressional Elections, Barack Obama (BayouBuzz) March 8 Dem primary open to independents

POLLS: Some Reflections on Polling in the Primaries (RealClearPolitics HorseRaceBlog)

THE CAMPAIGN: Clinton seeks swift reply to Obama onslaught (AP) * Campaign Trail Leads To Texas, Wisconsin (CBS) * After Potomac Sweep, Can Obama’s Momentum Be Stopped? Clinton’s Determined to Try (By: Michael H. Cottman, BlackAmericaWeb.com, and Associated Press) * Is It Too Late for Hillary? (Time Magazine)

WASHINGTON: Basking in Obama's glow (Joni Balter, Seattle Times)

OHIO: All eyes on Ohio (By STEPHEN ORAVECZ Tribune Chronicle) Obama has drawn a lot of independent voters, but they may be closed out in Ohio’s closed primary.

PENNSYLVANIA: 93,000 independents may not know they can't vote April 22 (Philadelphia Daily News)

SUPERDELEGATES: Democratic Super Delegates Guided By Voters, Not Backroom Deals (Bloomberg) * The Role of the Superdelegates: Could They Thwart the Choice of a Majority of Democratic Primary Voters? (By EDWARD LAZARUS, FindLaw)

REPUBS/CONSERVATIVES: Gingrich: There’s No Reason For Voters To Keep Republicans In Power (News Hounds)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

HANKSTER LEDE: Power failure: Voter discontent could make this year’s election like no other in recent years (Beaver County Times)

POTOMAC PRIMARY

• VA: Huge numbers turn out to vote for Obama (Daily Press) More voters chose Obama than all the Repub candidates combined; Obama rang up huge margins and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said that means independent voters are opting for the Illinois senator
• Va. steps into role on national stage (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH) Obama won every district except one; VA primary was a test of standing with independents for both McCain and Obama
• Obama Crushes Clinton In Potomac Primary (CBS/AP) with exit polls
• Assessing the GOP's Chances (Wall Street Journal) It was the defection of independents, not conservatives, that caused the Democratic landslide in the congressional elections in 2006.
• Exit polls for Potomac primaries show support for Obama ran wide (CNN)
• Exit poll: Why Obama and McCain won Va. (By: David Paul Kuhn, Politico)

OKLAHOMA: Subpar Tuesday: Primary lost in the shuffle (NewsOK) State should consider open primary for presidential elections

INDIANA: Presidential campaign leaders preparing for Ind. primary (WISH TV) Obama petition filing becomes rally

WISCONSIN: New poll has Obama, McCain leading in Wisconsin (Wausau Daily Herald) among independents, his margin is much larger, 63-25. Wisconsin holds an open primary, meaning party registration is not required to vote.