Montana Repubs Pitch Top Two Open Primaries

OPEN PRIMARIES
Panel hears GOP plan for 'top 2' primary elections (Written by Matt Gouras, Associated Press, Great Falls MT Tribune) House Bill 436 would advance the top two candidates who receive the most votes in the new open primary election to the November election. A candidate receiving more than 50 percent of the vote in a primary would win the election outright — and no general election would be held for that race. Rep. Scott Reichner, of Bigfork, the sponsor, said the measure would let voters choose candidates from among different parties without having to strictly choose one party for an entire ballot. Many voters do not strongly identify with one of the two major parties, he said.

Independent Registration Up in California and Montana

• STATE: Partisan trenches (THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE - Riverside CA) New voter registration totals from the secretary of state once again show that the large political parties hold a shrinking share of the electorate, while the number of independent voters continues to grow. Democrats now compose 43.6 percent of the state’s more than 17 million registered voters, while Republicans make up 30.4 percent of voters. But 21.2 percent of registered voters — more than one in five — now identify with no political party.
• Rise of registered Republicans on the Treasure Coast (WPEC - CBS 12 - St. Lucie FL) Many Independent voters are now registering Republican. Voters tell us it's happening so they can weigh in on such an important presidential primary.
• Poll results show Rehberg-Tester Senate race in virtual tie (By ROB CHANEY of the Missoulian) Republicans made up 28 percent of the Montana poll respondents, while 24 percent declared themselves Democrats. A surprising 46 percent said they were "independent or something else," which was the highest total among the mountain states and far above the national average. Utah was the next closest independent state (35 percent), while only 13 percent of Wyoming residents called themselves that.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

CAMPAIGN

• Clinton 'storms' into Vermillion to support Hillary (Sioux City Journal) Some, like Vermillion resident Gretchen Burbach, are independent voters who are still trying to make up their minds.
• Obama angles for showcase win in Montana (AP Google) The primary is open to all voters, and the Democratic race is expected to attract crossover Republicans and independent voters.
• Poll: Wash. voters favor any Dem over McCain (Seattle Post Intelligencer) Obama had a higher proportion of Independent voters than both McCain and Clinton.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Attention Oklahoma Independent voters! (jmbzine.com) Jacqueline Salit, founder and political director of the national organization, Committee for a Unified Independent Party, commented, “With 70% of Americans saying that the country is on the wrong track, the problem is not just that our policies have gone wrong. It’s that our political process isn’t working.


• Independents are pivotal to both McCain, Obama (NY Newsday)


• Permanent early voting list confusing some voters (Prescott Daily Courier) some voters on the list are confused about having to declare a party affiliation before they can receive an early ballot.


• The White Working Class: Forgotten Voters No More (by John Harwood, NY Times The Caucus)


• Republican candidates dwindle in Massachusetts races (by The Republican Newsroom) Voters not affiliated with either party make up slightly more than 50 percent of registered voters. These unaffiliated voters helped elect Weld and two other Republican governors and could again tilt toward the GOP, according to party leaders.

MONTANA

• Poll: State is on track, country isn't (The Missoulian) 92 percent of Democrats and 78 percent of independents saying they felt the country was headed in the wrong direction.


• Obama Holds Big Lead in Montana Poll (New West Network) It’s probably true that an Obama loss here would do some serious damage, calling into question his appeal to independent voters and his ability to redraw the electoral map in the fall by winning in at least some Mountain West states.

LIBERTARIANS * Dogfight in Denver (The American Spectator)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Billings Montana Gazette Opinion: Face-to-face visits excite local voters (Billings Gazette) Montana has an open primary
• Guest column: Put Open Primary on November ballot (By Phil Keisling, The Daily Astorian)

OREGON
Watch the unaffiliated voters!

• Oregon turnout expected to top 1 million (The Oregonian)
• Oregon's Post Office Primary (Washington Post/The Trail)

NORTH CAROLINA
Ten years in North Carolina history (Asheville Citizen Times) Democrats still outnumber Republicans in voter registrations, but the most dramatic increase is in unaffiliated voters who often determine the outcomes of elections.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Lawsuit, Round II-May primary elections unlikely to be affected by suit (Boise Weekly) The fight to open up the Idaho primaries for independents
• Republican announces run for 3rd District seat (Des Moines Register) In December, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by more than 20,000 in the 12-county district, which covers 12 counties in east-central and south-central Iowa, including Polk. Since then, Republican registration has shrunk nominally, while Democrats have surged by more than 12,000, largely due to former independent voters pouring into the Democrats’ ranks to participate in the caucuses.
• Cumberland County PA Democrats make small gains in registration (Cumberland County Sentinel) 3500 independents have reregistered to vote in the primary

OPEN PRIMARIES

• S.D., N.D. Democratic voters prefer Obama (Argus Leader)
• State seal brouhaha has some faces red (The Oregonian) Kiesling has state seal on Open Primaries website -- Oregon partisans don't like that
• Lawsuit Opens Idaho’s Closed Primary Issue Again (New West Network)
• PA Switch hitters: Voter registration changes are a result of state’s closed primary system (Beaver Co. Times & Allegheny Times)
• Superdelegate FAQ (Great Falls Tribune - MT) Montana voters choose which primary they want to vote in and don't have to register with the party
• Dems now ‘party of disenfranchisement’ (LETTER to Bluefield Daily Telegraph) Crocodile tears for partisans.....

CAMPAIGN

• Easley urges Obama to debate in N.C. (Charlotte Observer) Easley writes that the debate would benefit 75,000 new Democrats and 50,000 unaffiliated voters who have recently registered.
• Mac's Bar Having Debate-Watch Party Tonight-Might be Fireworks Ahead of Pennsylvania Primary (Huntington News)

LIBERTARIAN PARTY KC CONFERENCE Libertarian Candidates, Supporters Gather in KC (KCUR Public Broadcasting)