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."