Open Primaries Bring Independent Voters to the Table in 2012

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Marin Voice: New campaign laws could impact Marin congressional race (By Richard Rubin, Marin Independent Journal) That answer is less predictable after passage of Proposition 14 last November, ushering in open primaries that permit the two top vote-getters, irrespective of party affiliation, to face off in the general election. This increases the chances for more vote-splitting — especially if other high-profile Democrats should decide to enter the race… While this could create some openings, even for minority party candidates, given the numerical and fund-raising disadvantages, it is unlikely any could mount a strong enough contest.
• Primary confusion (Toledo Blade) But some Republicans want a closed caucus. Because Michigan, unlike Ohio, has no party registration, Democrats and independents are free to vote in a GOP primary.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 8/16/10

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Rochelle Riley: Time to change Mich. primary system (Livingston Daily - MI) For frustrated independent voters, the Aug. 3 primary forced them to temporarily join parties they didn't want to belong to in the first place.
• State first in Supreme Court campaign costs (By Phillip Rawls, Montgomery Advertiser) Alabama's hotly contested partisan races for state Supreme Court seats were by far the most expensive in the country during the last decade, according to a new national study by Brennan Center.

NEW YORK

• Democratic Bigwigs Show At Rangel's Birthday Fundraiser (Gothamist)
• Rangel’s Birthday Party ‘Damn Sure Ain’t No Funeral’ (NY Magazine/Daily Intel)
• Poll: D.C. elites rate Congress higher (By: Andy Barr, Politico)

NYC CHARTER REVISION

• Fine-tuning city's tribunal system (Peter N. Spencer, SI Advance)
• $110K grant kept Rev. Al Sharpton quiet about Mayor Bloomberg changing term limits (ADAM LISBERG, Daily News) On Aug. 7, Sharpton said he would fight any push to make city elections nonpartisan - which Bloomberg hoped to do this fall. His public stand helped kill the idea. Barely 48 hours later, Bloomberg pulled the plug.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 8/4/10

OPEN PRIMARIES

• TOP TWO OPEN PRIMARY FACES FIRST LEGAL CHALLENGE (by Damon Eris, CAIVN) The lawsuit argues that SB6 is unconstitutional because, if implemented, candidates who “identify with a ‘minor’ party will be censored and discriminated against on the ballot,” and because votes cast for any “write-in candidate in the general election will not be counted.”  (Full copies of the complaint and brief can be found at Ballot Access News, a site authored by Richard Winger, who is one of the plaintiffs in the suit) 

BALLOT ACCESS

• Filing Fee Alternative to Primary Petitions in Illinois, New York (Ballot Access News)

COLORADO

• Kathleen Curry Will Sue Against Discriminatory Campaign Contribution Limits (Ballot Access News)

KANSAS

• Steady stream of voters turn out at polls (KSN) So far, there have been a few reports of problems at certain polling places. Several involve independent voters telling KSN they were turned away. Election workers told them the Republican Primary is closed and therefore they cannot vote. But according to state law, unaffiliated voters can cast a ballot as long as they’re willing to declare a party.
• Lots of independent voters switching to GOP for today’s primary (Wichita Eagle/Insider Dispatches)
• Record 25 percent vote in Sedgwick County (By STAN FINGER and BECCY TANNER, The Wichita Eagle) “Based off what we saw, at least 5 percent were unaffiliated voters,” he said. “That’s 2,500 or 3,000 unaffiliated voters, roughly three times the number we normally see in an August primary. That’s a pretty big increase.”

MICHIGAN

• Bernero has to tweak his fall message (BY STEPHEN HENDERSON, DETROIT FREE PRESS) And with Rick Snyder on the Republican ticket, that challenge looks even greater. Snyder won his primary by reaching out to independents and Democrats, luring them into the GOP primary to defeat much more conservative candidates.
• The Tea Party's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Night - Moderates rule a series of high-profile primaries (Newsweek)

KENTUCKY

• Rand Paul's Crucible - How does a radical libertarian win in deep-purple Kentucky? (Adam de Jong, The New Republic) It's often forgotten, but Kentucky's political environment is not tailor-made for Republican landslides. The state has roughly 600,000 more registered Democrats than members of the GOP, and only a small pool of independent voters, forcing Kentucky Republicans to make their careers out of winning a sizeable portion of the Democratic base.

NEW YORK

• Scandal-scarred state Sen. Pedro Espada demands federal probe of chief rival Gustavo Rivera (BY KENNETH LOVETT, DAILY NEWS ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF)

NYC CHARTER REVISION

• Charter Commission May Put Nonpartisan Elections on the Ballot (By Jill Colvin, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer)
• Citizens Union special report
• Williams: I want a pension (Gotham Gazette/Wonkster) Councilmember Jumaane Williams wants to extend term limits to to 3 terms...

Michigan Independent Voters - Yes, You Can Vote in the Primary

Michigan has open primaries. That means you can either vote as a Democrat or a Republican, but not both... (WKZO Lansing)


Also see IndependentVoting.org and Open Primaries at The Hankster.... and while you're at it, go national at OpenPrimaries.org!


Happy voting!

I'm an Independent Voter - Can I Vote in the Primary in Oklahoma or Michigan?

OKLAHOMA -- No!

"Remember that Oklahoma does not have an open primary. Republicans cannot vote in Democratic races and Democrats cannot vote in Republican races. Depending on a voter's party affiliation, some races may or may not be represented on the primary ballot." (By Tulsa World's Editorial Writers)  

MICHIGAN - Yes you can, but you have to pick a party!
Michigan has open primaries. This means a registered voter can walk into the polling place and pick a party. A chest-thumping liberal can ask for a Republican ballot without apology, and a conservative from the deepest part of right field doesn't need a disguise to play ball with the Democrats. The caveat is you only get one choice. For instance, if you vote on the the Democratic side for governor, you cannot switch to the Republican ballot for legislative races.... Another option is skipping the party stuff altogether. The nonpartisan ballot in St. Clair County features an elimination round for circuit judge as well as a menu of ballot questions including requests to renew smorgasbord taxes for libraries, parks, senior services and the community college. (From Mike Connell in the Port Huron Times Herald)

See The Hankster's Open Primaries page

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Kranz: The color purple-Some consider South Dakota's hue different when it comes to elections (Argus Leader)
• EDITORIAL: Independent voters (Washington Times) Much of the mystery surrounding independent voters has been revealed and the discovery, through polls, media coverage and intense study of the last two presidential cycles, is that independent voters are not that different from partisan voters. [NOTE: You gotta wonder what the Washington Times is so afraid of! -NH]

REFORM

• Our country needs redistricting reform (San Antonio Express-News)
• Take political districts out of the hands of politicians (The Desert Sun)
• Editorial: Keep supporting redistricting reforms in PA (Pocono Record)
• Five want Democratic nod in US House Dist. 8 race (Daily Commercial - Leesburg FL) It's all about reform...

CAMPAIGN
McCain needs Michigan independents to win Michigan (The Flint Journal News Service)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

CAMPAIGN

• What do New York Voters Want Hillary Clinton to do? (Political Lore) And with the all important independent voters, 19% want her to be the candidate, 43% want her to remain in the Senate, 4% want her to run for Governor. 2% want her to run for Mayor and 33% want her to go away...
• Overview of Black Presidential Candidacy (Black Voice News)
• Nader submits petitions for Nevada presidential ballot (Reno Gazette Journal)

REFORM
Oregon "top two" primary; Connecticut constitutional convention for initiative and referendum; Michigan -- who's really behind the reform efforts?

• Oregon ballot could see 10 initiative proposals (The Oregonian)
• Power Mustn't Fall Into The Wrong Hands (Hartford Courant)
• Tyranny Masked As Populism (LETTER Hardford Courant)
• Coalition pushes for constitutional convention (Hartford Courant)
• Michigan group fighting to change state constitution (Toledo Blade)

Conversations on Obama, Michigan and Lieberman

"(Obama) is the first candidate since Robert Kennedy, who is able to reach across partisan and racial divides," said Troy Zukowski, of Portage, Michigan.


Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Republican in Democratic clothing with a hastily drawn "independent" sign hanging around his neck, "got some tough talk" from Sen. Barack Obama

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• In South Jersey, more minorities, and independent voters are still the largest voting bloc by far. In Burlington and Monmouth Counties, the number of voters registered as unaffiliated outnumbers Democratic and Republican registrants combined. (Campaigns & Elections magazine)
• In Michigan, changing the timing of the primary, Independent voters probably would have to declare a party preference to participate (Michigan Live)
• 3rd-party candidates are wild cards in zany year (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
• Karl Rove Has Left The Building: Or HAS He? (By Joe Gandelman - The Moderate Voice)
• Will Nunn Run? (Human Events)
• The Bloomberg Scenario (By Charlie Cook, National Journal)
• In Oregon, still at it, for an open primary (The Oregonian)
• In North Carolina ‘Instant runoff’ gets a tryout in Hendersonville (Ashville Citizen Times)

Michigan should schedule a two-party presidential primary

I think independent voters especially are going to be really weary and apathetic by the time November 2008 comes around, and that's too bad, because this election will be so critical.... (Detroit Free Press)

Michigan: Open or closed primaries?

To be effective, the parties have to agree: ...the state Democratic party is continuing talks with the Michigan Republican Party to hold semi-closed primaries on the same day, instead of a closed Democratic caucus and Republican open primary.... (Detroit Free Press)