Hankster News of the Day for Independent Voters - Nov. 14

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Obama and Independents: The Micro, the Macro, and the Forest (Jacqueline Salit, Huffington Post) The Democrats have settled on an electoral strategy based on appealing to Americans on the basis of identity (ethnicity, gender, etc.) and the fear that the Republicans will shred the safety net. But sheer demographics and maintaining the status quo is not enough. Creative and innovative approaches to social and economic problems that are desperately needed, and are being worked on in the nonprofit sector, outside the party dominated governmental apparatus, can only thrive in the fresh air of a non-partisan political culture.
• Google Founder Calls U.S. A 'Bonfire of Partisanship' (By AMIR EFRATI, Wall Street Journal) Supported Obama. As a result, he called the government a "bonfire of partisanship" and urged Tuesday's winners to go independent "in name and in spirit." He concluded: "It is probably the biggest contribution you can make to the country."
• Why Winning The Independent Vote Can Actually Be A Bad Thing (Brett LoGiurato, Business Insider) In fact, what the Independent vote is often more telling of is a lack of commitment among "leaners" to the party.
• First Thoughts: Lessons learned? (NBC News/First Read) So now twice in the last three elections -- in 2004 and 2012 -- the winner has lost the indie vote. What does this mean? Well, party ID appears to matter much more...
• Editorial: Wisconsin remains proudly independent (The Northwestern) Religion, race and sexual orientation are increasingly non-factors.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Let's review redistricting, primary rules (Asheville NC Citizen Times) Now that there are no immediate election pressures, this would be a good time to reform the process. A nonpartisan redistricting commission would do worlds of good, and open primaries are an idea worth exploring… North Carolina ought to wait for more data before making any commitment to open primaries. There is, however, no reason to hold up on the redistricting commission. Salamanders are good in nature but not in politics.
• Proposition 121 - Voters shut door on open primary proposition (Sean Peick, Cronkite News Service, Tucson Sentinel) Voters on Tuesday rejected a ballot measure to do away with Arizona's partisan primary system in favor of open primaries advancing top vote-getters regardless of party. Unofficial returns showed Proposition 121 trailing by a wide margin.
• Koch Brothers Defeat Prop 121 “Top-Two” Open Primary in AZ (By Chad Peace, IVN) The Koch brothers funneled more than half a million dollars to fund the partisan attack on Proposition 121. The money powered an aggressive “No” campaign, led in a bipartisan manner by the leaders of the Republican, Democrat, and even third parties in Arizona.
• Editorial: GOP risks becoming irrelevant - Party must broaden its base (Statesman Journal) Being a Republican, or a Democrat, isn’t enough to win election in Oregon. Candidates must take clearly defined, well-articulated positions instead of relying on personality or party affiliation.

Voter Registration Down, Independents Up, National Scene -- Look At the Independents

What's up? Independent voter registration and identification. What's down? Partisan politics and partisan registration.

NATIONAL

• CNN Poll:Obama Expands Lead To 7 Points, Independent Voters Cool On Romney (Kyle Leighton, TPM) “Among independent voters, the poll indicates President Obama has a 53%-42% lead,” CNN Polling Director Keating Holland told CNN.com. “The president holds a nine point advantage among women voters and a smaller six point edge among men.”
• Ann McFeatters: Watch the rise of independent voters (Newsday) A record number of us now say we are political independents, swiveling our heads right and left as we watch the Democrats and the Republicans try to govern -- and fail. Forty-four percent of Americans insist they are neither Republican nor Democrat, according to Gallup polling. That is about 9 percentage points higher than surveys showed at the same period in 2008, the last presidential election year.

NORTH CAROLINA

• Independentvoters make up a larger share of North Carolina's registry (Fayettesville Observer) Since 2000, the number of unaffiliated voters has grown by 77 percent in Cumberland County and 112 percent statewide, according to an analysis of voter records by The Fayetteville Observer.
• See same article, different version here Inside Politics: Number of independent votersgrowing fast in Cumberland County and North Carolina.

SOUTH DAKOTA

• Voter registration down from four years ago (Ryan Lengerich, Rapid City Journal) Voter registration in South Dakota has dipped since 2008 for Democrats and Republicans, but more voters are declaring their independence. Independent voters increased 7.5 percent since the 2008 general election, to 88,726.
• Same article: Voter registration down in South Dakota, but more residentsregistering independent (The Republic,  Indiana)
• Same article Voter registration down in S.D., but independents up (Sioux City Journal) 

Declaration of Independents (North Carolina to Arizona and All Points In Between)

INDEPENDENTVOTING.ORG NETWORKS

• DECLARATION OF THE INDEPENDENTS (By Omar H. Ali and Donna Moser, News Observer) The widely-discussed yet continually misunderstood "independent voter" is neither ideologically driven nor a closet partisan (be it Democrat nor Republican). We are not "swing voters,"' nor are we "moderates." Rather, we come from across the political spectrum and the one thing we agree upon is the need to minimize partisan control over the political process.
• The Impact of Independent Voters (WUNC) Host Frank Stasio talks with three of the event’s participants: Omar Ali, associate professor of African-American Studies and History at UNC-Greensboro; Donna Moser, co-founder of North Carolina Independents; and Brittany Rodman, a young, registered independent voter.
• Will Open Primaries Shake Up Politics in Arizona? (Pamela Powers Hannley, Huffington Post) Open primaries -- where all candidates regardless of party affiliation are listed on one ballot -- would give voters, rather than political parties, a greater voice in government, says Ted Downing, Ph.D., research professor of social development in the Arizona Research Laboratories at the University of Arizona and one of the initiative's architects.
• Will Arizona's GOP Self-Destruct? (By Terry Greene Sterling, Daily Beast) The Arizona GOP already has a set of challenges that it hasn’t faced before. Herstam notes that an energetic petition drive for open primaries is underway. If it gathers enough signatures in the next five months, it will show up on the November ballot. If passed, the open primary system will likely unseat extremists now in the Arizona legislature. Expect both parties to oppose it.
• Arizona Top-Two Initiative Has Collected 100,000 Signatures So Far (Ballot Access News) It is believed that California multi-millionaire Charles Munger, Jr., is providing much of the financial backing for the initiative, so there seems little doubt that it will qualify.

Independents and the Iowa Caucus

From WFMY News, CBS in Greensboro NC




In recent days, lots of attention has been directed towards the Iowa caucus. At nearly 1,000 miles away, North Carolinians may be wondering why this is important to them. WFMY News 2 spoke with Dr. Omar Ali, Independent Political Analyst and Historian at UNC Greensboro to bring you more information.

WFMY: Why do we, here in the Triad and across the country, need to care about the Iowa Caucus?

Dr. Ali: In 2008, 13% of GOP voters self-identified as independent which translated into about 16,000 Iowa voters participating in the GOP caucuses as independents. On the Democratic side, about 20% self-identified as independent which translated into about 50,000 voters. What this means is that In 2008, independents made a very strong statement in Iowa when 75% of them chose to vote in the Democratic caucuses. Given that there isn't a competitive Democratic caucus this year, the voter turnout among independents will give some indication of how compelling voters find the GOP case against Obama and his administration.

WFMY: How does money factor into early primaries (especially this year when so many states moved their caucuses/primaries so early)?

Dr. Ali: Money is always a factor. Having more money has helped candidates such as Romney who had a relatively late start in Iowa this go-around make a strong showing in the polls. Money can buy organizations, but what money doesn't do is necessarily win the caucuses. Iowans are independent-thinking and are looking for candidates who will meaningfully address the state of our economy, part of which means having a president who can equally address the partisan gridlock of Congress. Each state legislature will offer its own explanation as to why they moved things up. What we do know is that moving things up certainly favors those with cash in hand.

WFMY: Is Iowa (or any early states) really a good representation of voters in the US?

Dr. Ali: Obama and his team will be watching closely, not just to see who wins and places but to see what, if anything, they can learn about the movement of independents. There are strong progressive voices and leaders in the independent movement - like Jackie Salit, leader of IndependentVoting.org - and the Obama people may find that they want to make an alliance with that wing of the independent movement so that it can influence the direction of independents in the general election. And, yes, Iowa is overwhelmingly white (and largely evangelical) but it's also the case that in terms of the "independent vote" (which is the most undecided group of voters) Iowa could project more broadly. The undecideds, as you know, are what the Republican candidates are most concerned with.

HANKSTER SPECIAL REPORT: Dr. Omar Ali, Professor at UNC Greensboro Speaks Out About Occupy Wall Street and Need for Political Reform

SPECIAL REPORT: Omar H. Ali Speaks Out About Occupy Wall Street and Need for Political Reform

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Representative Darrell Issa Leads List Of Wealthiest Member Of Congress (Written by USA Today) VIDEO: Ali on CBS discussing money and politics, emphasizing the need to increase the political participation of the 99% through structural reforms as opposed to trying to regulate the 1% (which has not worked since McCain-Feingold).
NC Occupy movement takes stock - Occupy movement in NC takes stock after 2 months (WAVY NBC Channel 10 - Portsmouth VA) NOTE: Above AP article also picked up by Boston Herald
Race and Occupy Wall Street (by Frank Stasio and Ginny Mueller, WUNC North Carolina Public Radio) AUDIO The Occupy Wall Street movement has spread across the country and captured the attention of millions of Americans. The movement deals with national issues, but it doesn't necessarily represent all factions of society. Are minorities being well represented in the revolution of the 99 percent? Host Frank Stasio talks about Occupy Wall Street and race with Derrick Johnson, president of the Mississippi NAACP; Omar Ali, an African-American studies professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro; and Marcella Robinson, an Occupy Raleigh protester and member of the group Mortgage Fraud in North Carolina.
A New Poll Reveals Only 17% of Americans Are Happy With The Direction Our Country Is Headed (Written by Rosemary Plybon, CBS Good Morning Show, WFMY News 2)
Occupy Greensboro Movement discusses social equality (by Yasmine Regester, Carolina Peacemaker) The Occupy Greensboro Movement stemmed from the Occupy Wall Street protests that began in New York in early September directed against economic and social equality. The protests have since spread across the U.S. The slogan for the movement has been "We are the 99%" which according to Dr. Omar Ali, University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG) Associate Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies and panelist, it refers to the 99 percent that are not wealthy and have been hit hard with the downturn in the economy.

Occupy Greensboro

Dr. Ali, a long-time activist in the independent political movement in the US and a founder of  is an Associate Professor of the African American Studies Program & Department of History at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is the author of In the Lion's Mouth: Black Populism in the New South, 1886-1900 (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2010), foreword by Robin D. G. Kelly and In the Balance of Power: Independent Black Politics and Third Party Movements in the United States (Athens: Ohio University Press, 2008), foreword by Eric Foner, among other books.



OCCUPY WALL STREET
'The New Tammany Hall' (By MATTHEW KAMINSKI, Wall Street Journal) Fred Siegel: The institutional barriers to change have grown, too. The Working Families Party, founded in 1998, is the political arm of government unions and a driver of turnout in local elections. Though little known outside New York, the influence of this third party can be seen on the City Council, which has come to tilt heavily left. So far, says Mr. Siegel, the party has a better political track record than Tammany. "With the exception of Giuliani, they've never lost an election. No matter who wins, they're OK."

Independent Redistricting: Create American Nonpartisanship

REDISTRICTING

• Editorial: Independent redistricting commission is the ticket (By: Winston Salem Journal) There's a better way to do this: an independent redistricting commission created by constitutional amendment.
• EDITORIAL: Gov. Brewer’s Overreach (NY Times) The court decision was a ringing defense of state voters, who approved creation of the independent commission in 2000 after decades of gerrymandering.

NC Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform Wants Iowa-Style Redistricting

INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING

• Letter: Look to Iowa for redistricting reform (Daily Reflector - Greenville NC) The N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform strongly agrees that it is time to change the way North Carolina does redistricting… N.C. House Bill 824, co-sponsored by Rep. Edith Warren, passed the N.C. House by a vote of 88 to 27, with support from Warren and Rep. Marian McLawhorn. H.B. 824 is based upon this Iowa model and crafted to fit North Carolina — both its people and its political culture.
• Ouster of Arizona redistrict chair provokes backlash (by Mary K. Reinhart, The Arizona Republic) "The initiative was designed to prevent exactly what the governor and the Senate seek to accomplish with the removal of the chair," attorney Tim Hogan of the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest wrote in a filing Thursday on behalf of Dennis Burke, Ann Eschinger and Bart Turner. "It was intended to create a commission beyond the reach of raw political power of the sort exercised in this case."

Independent Redistricting: Needed Now More Than Ever

REDISTRICTING

• Eyes on Ariz. as redistricting panel shaken up (By Gregory Korte, USA TODAY) Brewer, a Republican, accused commission Chairwoman Colleen Mathis of putting a priority on making congressional districts competitive at the expense of a "grid-like" map required by the law… Mathis has sued to keep her post, but her removal as the panel's only independent brings a 2-2 deadlock between Democrats and Republicans, who likely won't be agree to enact a map.
• Independent panel needed for redistricting - Despite Justice Department OK, Republican plan still partisan. (Charlotte Observer) Regardless of the outcome, there's a better way to do redistricting. A nonpartisan, independent commission drawing the lines seems the best way to get a voting map that's fair and designed with the voters, not the politicians, in mind.
• New York and Utah (Salt Lake Tribune) Substitute Utah for New York and Gov. Gary Herbert for Gov. Andrew Cuomo and note how this Oct. 26 New York Times editorial applies… Such [independent] commissions exist in Idaho, Montana and Arizona. When will our citizens insist on this?

Independent Analyst Dr. Omar H. Ali Speaks on Recent Obama Visit to North Carolina

NORTH CAROLINA INDEPENDENTS

• Independent Voters Want President's Attention (NPR, WFDD FM 88.5, North Carolina) On Tuesday, October 18, he heard President Obama speak in Jamestown. According to Dr. Ali, while the President and other politicians talk about how they plan to create new jobs, unaffiliated voters are frustrated with bipartisan politics. He tells WFDD's Kathryn Mobley there are about 1.5 million unaffiliated voters in North Carolina. But he says he believes that number would be higher if there were open primaries.
  Ali speaks to WFMY about Obama visit (UNC Greensboro University News, Posted by Dan Nonte)  SEE VIDEO BELOW
• NEW: North Carolina Independents website 

North Carolina Repubs Fight Open Primary

OPEN PRIMARIES

• GOP suit seeks closed primary - Questions linger about who can vote, who will get bill (By Eric Connor, Greenville Online) U.S. District Judge Michelle Childs has given the state Republican Party and the State Attorney General until Dec. 15 to file arguments over whether the state’s open-primary laws are constitutional.
• Editorial: Invite All N.M. Voters (By Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board) Nearly one in five registered New Mexico voters doesn’t declare a major party allegiance — a number that has grown significantly. And while that status as an independent voter keeps them from having to swallow the so-called dogma of the D and R extremists in partisan primary elections, it also keeps them out of the voting booth until the general election rolls around.
• What’s wrong with Washington? Two perspectives  (By Jonathan Capehart, Washington Post) Interviews with Mickey Edwards [How to turn Republicans and Democrats into Americans] and David Walker [president and CEO of the Comeback America Initiative] Walker: But how are we going to get it done because we have a dysfunctional democracy? Our politics have been taken over by the wingnuts — on both ends. And they are dominated by career politicians who may or may not have had a real job in their life but once they get elected they don’t have one and they want to keep it for life. And so the fact is is that we’re going to need political reforms, too. We’re going to need redistricting reform. We’re going to need integrated, open primaries. We’re going to need campaign finance reform. And we’re going to need reasonable term limits, 12 to 18 year term limits. And we better do it sooner rather than later.
• A biting look at D.C. in 'Patriocracy' - 'Patriocracy' will have its 'world premiere' on November 5. (By PATRICK GAVIN, Politico) Seventy minutes into the 90-minute film, some daylight appears in the form of former Rep. Mickey Edwards, whose “insider’s six-step plan to fix Congress” published in the Atlantic earlier this year, serves as the basis for a way out of the wilderness. The plan involves greater civic participation, reform of the campaign finance laws, increased transparency, open primaries, non-partisan congressional districting, a reform of committee appointments and a forfeiture of party allegiance.
• La. Gov. Bobby Jindal wins re-election (USA Today) The 40-year-old Republican overwhelmed nine competitors in the open primary, where a candidate wins the race outright if he or she receives more than 50 percent of the vote. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Jindal had received about 66 percent of the total vote.

North Carolina Gives Structural Advantage to Unpopular Party

NORTH CAROLINA
Dismal numbers for NC GOP...but a structural advantage (Public Policy Polling) The Republican legislators are extremely unpopular- but one of their unpopular actions could leave them in power for years to come.

Independent Redistricting: Empower Voters, Not Parties

INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING

• Let's break redistricting impasse tradition - Legislature must approve map that puts voters ahead  (EDITORIAL Coloradoan) In our state, independent voters make up almost one-third of the voting bloc. Drawing districts based on political parties' whims is shortsighted and unfair to a large portion of voters.
• Race, remaps and reforms (By Jack Betts, Charlotte Observer) It's not often you hear a sitting politicians acknowledge publicly that his party will use racial demographics in order to unseat opponents - and identify the top targets. In doing so, McHenry - who was, in his first term, the youngest person elected to Congress - helped make the case that's been so obvious for so long that no one pays much attention to it anymore: An independent restricting panel ought to be redrawing districts, not the politicians in charge. That only allows the dominant party to help themselves stay in power. When politicians pick their voters rather than allowing voters to choose their politicians, you get officeholders practically salivating on ways to put the opposition at a disadvantage.

Can Florida Get Open Primaries? Idaho Gov Signs Legislation Requiring Partisan Registration

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Retaking state: Floridians need to get active now (Stephen Goldstein, Sun Sentinel FL) 7. The "Open Primaries" Amendment would keep extremist candidates and party loyalists from hijacking primaries by allowing voters to take part in the process, even if they are not registered with a given party. Currently, primaries favor candidates who take radical positions to appeal to a party's base. But then, unless they lie, they can't win the general election when they need a broader, more moderate, appeal. Open primaries favor centrist, more electable, candidates.
• GOP panel nixes call for closed primaries, Sponsor: Proposal prevents Dems from swaying rivals' races (Written by ERIK SCHELZIG, Associated Press, The Leaf Chronicle) The executive committee of the state Republican Party on Saturday voted down a proposal to require party registration to vote in Tennessee primaries.  NOTE: This AP article ran widely in local papers nationally
• Eye on Boise: Otter says closed primary an imperfect compromise (Betsy Z. Russell The Spokesman-Review) Gov. Butch Otter has signed into law historic changes in Idaho’s election system, requiring, for the first time, that all Idahoans declare their party affiliation to vote in the state’s primary election. [NOTE: Independents filed appeal to the court decision in favor of Repubs closing the primary before this legislation went through.]

INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING

• Redraw N.C. districts for voters, not for politicians - Process would be much better with nonpartisan commission. (Charlotte Observer)
• A line can take funny twists in redistricting (By Jeanette Krebs, Patriot News) If history is any indicator, there will be legislative and congressional maps that protect incumbents and make it easier for one party to stay in control, and in some cases, divide up minority voters so they don’t outnumber white voters. Some hopeful signs, however, do exist that things might be done differently this time in Pennsylvania.

2012
Tea Party Reshapes New Hampshire Calculus - Movement Emerges as Wild Card for Republican Hopefuls In Presidential Primary Often Dominated by Independents (By JONATHAN WEISMAN, Wall Street Journal) A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll this month found tea-party support at a low ebb. Some 25% of respondents said they supported the tea party, down from 29% in February and 30% in November. The highest percentage on record, 67%, said they weren't supporters.

States Could Reform Redistricting With Independent Nonpartisan Commissions

INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING

• Honest redistricting - If Senate won't keep promise, Cuomo must be ready to veto (By News Editorial Board, Buffalo News) The clock is running out. An independent commission needs to be in place to develop draft lines by the start of next year in order to have an impact.
• Republicans should keep pledge on redistricting effort - Republicans shouldn't back off election promise (EDITORIAL Democrat and Chronicle) Apparently Republicans, including Sens. Michael Nozzolio, Jim Alesi, Joe Robach and George Maziarz, are hoping that voters with short memories will forget the campaign pledges. Worse, they must think voters who bought their reform spiel are fools. But now is the time to depoliticize redistricting. New York only gets a chance to redraw district lines every 10 years based on the census. But Senate Republicans want to drag out the process, making it too late to be in place for next year's redistricting process.
• North Carolina wants to be like Iowa (by Jason Clayworth, Des Moines Register) Iowa’s redistricting system, which was first used in 1981, is a method where the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency propose boundaries based strictly upon the latest U.S. Census Bureau population estimates without political considerations.

Averting Government Shut-Down Pleases Voters

NORTH CAROLINA BALLOT ACCESS
Hearing Set in North Carolina Ballot Access Case (Ballot Access News) Mark Brody argues that he should have been permitted to appear on the 2010 ballot as an independent candidate for state house, with no petition. He had successfully petitioned in 2008 as an independent candidate for the same seat, and had polled 30.6% of the vote.

2012

• Analysis: Obama compromise heeds voter call for conciliation (By Alister Bull, Reuters) Fresh off a White House-brokered budget deal, President Barack Obama's reelection team hopes his intervention can lure back the moderate and independent voters who will be crucial to winning in 2012.
• NYC mayor: Trump can run for president if he wants (AP, Wall Street Journal) New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says a Donald Trump presidential candidacy would be great for the news media.

Independent Voters, 2012, and Party Insiders

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
GOP leaders likely to drop social issues in budget compromise (BY DAVID LIGHTMAN, Miami Herald) "There's a Republican economic agenda, and there's a social agenda. The problem for the party is that independents by and large do not share the social agenda," said Steven Smith, the director of the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy at Washington University in St. Louis.

PARTY INSIDERS V. PROP 14
Race for Congress: No Candidate Gains California Democratic Party Endorsement - None of the Democratic candidates in the upcoming election for a vacant seat in Congress are going to be officially endorsed by the California Democratic Party. (By Paul Chavez, Hermosa Beach Patch)

2012
Jon Huntsman, the rock 'n' roll years (By: Ben Smith and Kasie Hunt, Politico) Huntsman’s conventional ascent began in 1987, when he graduated from the Wharton School of Business, went to work for the family manufacturing giant, and moved between top industry and government posts. People who know him, however, say his unconventional appeal was crafted in the nine previous years, beginning in 1978, the year he left Highland High School without enough credits to graduate.

NEW YORK
Mike's maneuvers fail in Albany, NYC (By ERIK ENGQUIST and JEREMY SMERD, Crain's New York) The state budget that passed last week contained nothing from his wish list: no changes to the teacher seniority rule known as last-in, first-out; no relief from the $600 million “Christmas bonuses” that the city must pay retired police officers and firefighters annually; and not a dime of the city's former $300 million state revenue-sharing allocation, for the second straight year.

NORTH CAROLINA
GOP must balance agenda with desire to win re-election (By Paul Woolverton, Fayyetteville Observer) Out of North Carolina's 6 million registered voters, 2.7 million are Democrats - or 45 percent. About 1.9 million voters are Republican. And 1.45 million belong to no party. That means roughly 25 percent of the voters are unaffiliated.

Diverse North Carolina Reform Coalition Pushes for Independent Redistricting

NORTH CAROLINA REDISTRICTING

• Disputes mark redistricting process - Senators disagree over who should draw new congressional lines. (By Jim Morrill, Charlotte Observer) A coalition of conservative and liberal groups has formed to push for a constitutional amendment that would create an independent redistricting commission in North Carolina.
• Coalition pushes for independent redistricting commission (Posted by Margaret Williams, FROM THE N.C. CENTER FOR VOTER EDUCATION, Mountain Xpress - Asheville & Western North Carolina) A broad coalition of North Carolina nonprofit organizations announced today the formation of North Carolinians for Redistricting Reform, dedicated to ensuring the redistricting process is open, fair and includes significant public input.

Redistricting Will Work Best If Citizens Are Involved

INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING

• It's Time to "Change" Congress  (Independent Voice) With an historic victory for the Open Primary in June 2010, it's time to move on to our next fight - Redistricting Reform. IndependentVoice.Org is one of the Steering Committee Members of Yes on 20, No on 27. Proposition 20 takes the Redistricting Reform we passed in 2008 and applies it to Congressional Districts.  Proposition 27 is a measure put on the ballot by politicians that would return all power over the redistricting process to them.  So say it with us . .  . YES ON 20, NO ON 27!!
• Promises made, promises changed (By CHRIS FITZSIMON, Winston Salem Journal) Republicans also seem to be running away from their previous support for an independent redistricting commission. They announced after the November election that there wasn't time to set up a commission to draw the districts this year, though they could have passed legislation to create one the first week of the session and it could already be hard at work drawing the lines.
• Meetings share info about redistricting -Residents urged to learn about redrawn voting boundaries. (By Sarah Janssen, Fort Wayne News-Sentinel) Despite Vaughn's and others' efforts, no changes have been made to the law that gives this power to representatives. Gerrymandering is less of a concern for congressional voting district boundaries because of more federal laws, but House and Senate voting district boundary restrictions are much more lax.
• Jeffries Warns of Redistricting “Shenanigans” Ahead (By ZACHARY KUSSIN, CUNY J-School) With the first 2010 population counts for New York released yesterday by the United States Census Bureau, there may be a battle ahead over redistricting, said local Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, a vocal advocate for changes to the way that the state draws its district lines.
• Take the politics out of New York redistricting (A guest essay by Assemblyman Joe Morelle, MPNnow.com) Last month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo honored one of the most important promises made during last year’s campaign when he proposed independent redrawing of state legislative districts. I am proud to be a co-sponsor of this important reform legislation. Nonpartisan redistricting was at the heart of former New York Mayor Ed Koch’s 2010 reform movement New York Uprising, and there is a good reason. Without it there is little chance of changing Albany’s self-serving political culture. I fully support the redistricting initiative and hope the Legislature will respond to the will of the people on this issue.
• Involve public in redistricting (Albany Times Union) The League of Women Voters of New York State believes this can come about only if legislators support an independent commission for redrawing legislative and congressional districts in time for the 2012 election. To achieve that end, the League has joined ReShape NY, a broad coalition of different advocacy, business, union and civic groups calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Legislature to create an independent redistricting commission that will draw fair lines while involving the public in the process.
• Politicians ready for challenge as redistricting begins (Written by Jill Terreri, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle) Koch's group, New York Uprising, will be in districts of senators and Assembly members who signed the pledge but have not followed through, calling attention to their broken promises.
• Vorderbrueggen: (By Lisa Vorderbrueggen, Contra Costa Times) it is ironic that the new Citizens Redistricting Commission, which California voters approved in 2008 and 2010 to remedy the heavy-handed partisan gerrymandering of the past, is taking partisan fire before it draws a single line.
• Census puts congressional districts in flux (Robert Harding, Auburn Pub.com) The New York Public Interest Research Group made the argument Thursday that data shows downstate will lose two seats because of population growth in the region, mainly in the Hudson Valley.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Important independent voters share common goals for U.S. (The Tennessean) Who are the independents? One of them is writer Marcia Ford, and she'll tell you: "Ideologically, we run the gamut from right-wing fundies to radical lefties, from pro-abortion conservatives to anti-gay-marriage liberals, from embarrassed ex-Republicans to disillusioned ex-Democrats, from Catholic, mainline Protestant and evangelical Christians to religious and secular Jews to Buddhists and the ever popular 'highly spiritual' types.''
• NC: Voter registration ending Friday (St. Paul's Review The Robesonian) There are 52,809 registered Democrats in Robeson County, 7,511 Republicans, and 8,707 Unaffiliated (Independent) voters registered in Robeson.
• NC: Unaffiliated voters flood election rolls (Watauga Democrat) In September, 3,484 people registered in Watauga County and nearly half, or 1,588, were unaffiliated — compared to 891 Democrats, 992 Republicans and 13 Libertarians.

OREGON OPEN PRIMARY Measure 65

• Measure 65, ending partisan primaries in Oregon, raises lots of questions (The Oregonian) The open primary system "lets everybody vote for the best candidate."
• Gronke, Kiesling square off in Measure 65 debate (Politicker OR)
• Dancer would make office nonpartisan- Secretary of state candidate spoke at Linn Republican Women luncheon (Albany Democrat-Herald)

CAMPAIGN

• FOX NEWS POLL: OBAMA 46, McCAIN 39 (FOXNews) Independents split their vote 34 percent Obama and 32 percent McCain, with 24 percent unsure.
• 10/10/08 FOX News Poll: The Candidates and Character (FOXNews) among the critical bloc of independent voters, more think Obama puts his campaign first (44 percent) rather than his country (41 percent). Independents have no such qualms about McCain — 55 percent think he puts country over campaign.

NEW YORK POLITICS/INDEPENDENCE PARTY

• Democrats Are Gaining in State, Registration Data Shows (NY Times) Republican officials said that they were used to running — and winning — in an overwhelmingly Democratic state, and played down the significance of the enrollment trends. Voters, they said, would choose the candidate, not the party, and were attuned to the Republican message of lower taxes and balanced government. Moreover, all of the Republican candidates in close Senate races have been cross-endorsed by New York’s Independence Party, which has seen significant growth in recent years.
• Mayor Plans an $80 Million Campaign (NY Times)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

OPEN PRIMARIES
Party elite punishes Sen. Kurita (The Leaf Chronicle) In effect, the party elite selfishly used questionable evidence and flimsy excuses to disenfranchise 4,477 voters who wanted Kurita to continue to represent them.

CAMPAIGN

• PA: Whose county will it be Nov. 4? Independent voters will tip the scale (Lancaster Eagle Gazette)
• NC: New voter registrations could shift balance (Fay Observer) “What really jumps out at me is the unaffiliateds,” Woodcox said. “The independents are registering at a higher pace than Democrats or Republicans.”
• WV: Independent voters on the rise in state (REGISTER-HERALD REPORTER) Since the 2004 general election, Democrats have witnessed a 15,230 drop in their ranks and there are 1,433 fewer Republicans registered, but the non-affiliated, or so-called “independents,” have soared by 27,205.
• The GOP's New Love: Bi-Post-Non-Partisanship (BuzzFlash.org - IL) Oh, and they are Republicans, by the way. But you wouldn't know that to hear them talk … and talk, and talk -- and in some cases actually blame that party without reference to their own irresponsible membership, as though they'd been living some sort of out-of-body, existential misunderstanding for the last few years.