Democracy Report: Open Primaires, Independent Candidates, Petty Partisan Squabbles

OPEN PRIMARIES

• R.I. Republicans battle over inclusiveness of primary elections (By Steve Peoples and Katherine Gregg, Providence Journal State House Bureau)
• Call For Fair And Open Primaries In Bucks County (LETTER The Philadelphia Bulletin)

MASSACHUSETTS

• Democrats unhappy with Jill Stein over governor candidacy (Boston Progressive Examiner, Michael Richardson)

CALIFORNIA

• California Assembly panel approves Maldonado's nomination -- after grilling (By Susan Ferriss, Sac Bee)
• As We See It: Maldonado squabble a symbol of petty politics (Santa Cruz Sentinel)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• 43% in the new survey identify as independents (Susan Page-USA Today)
• Latino group aims to mobilize voters (Miami Herald)
• New Mexico Election Reform (OpEd News)
• Boxborough resident runs for Congress as independent (Bolton Common - GateHouse News Service)
• NAACP Forum: Obama, Clinton in a tight battle for black vote (Boston Globe)
• Sec of State nixes protest over Lieberman party (Stamford Advocate)
• It's Not Easy Being Green -Pennsylvania discrimintes against independents (WFMZ )
• Virginia - a top tier swing state with lots of indies (Hotline)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Mike Gravel Given 30 Seconds to Answer Each of 10 Somewhat Irrelevant Questions (Absurd Realities)
• McCain still commands attention from voters (Concord Monitor)
• Running the Realm of Red & Blue in Nonpartisan Elections (The Texas Blue)
• A New Poll Suggests That Play-It-Safe 'Centrists' Are Weakening the Democratic Party (RJ Eskow, HuffingtonPost)
• Connecticut Green Party Court Hearing (Ballot Access News)