RT America with #EndPartisanship's Chad Peace on Breaking the Party Grip on Our Democracy

Hey hey Hanksteristas!

Lots of breaking news in the independent movement lately! If you have not seen this piece by RT America, check it out now:

RT America invited #EndPartisanship’s legal counsel, Chad Peace, on their ‘Breaking the Set‘ segment to discuss the hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars that have been used to conduct closed partisan primary elections.

Host Abby Martin [Move over, Rachel Maddow, WAY over!] discussed the record low turnout rate in states like New Jersey and New York where less than 5% of eligible voters ultimately decide who can be their state’s next Governor or even Senator.



Stay tuned -- more to come from America's growing independent movement!

NH

Hankster News of the Day for Independents - July 10

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Gallop Poll- 50% Of US Hispanics Identify as Independent Voters (Hispanically Speaking News) Sixty percent of Hispanic immigrants identify as political independents, compared with 44% of first-generation Hispanic Americans and 43% of second-generation or higher Hispanics.
• Poll: Most Hispanics Independent Voters (WIBW) Both candidates have released television spots in Spanish, and both spoke in June at a major conference of Latino elected officials in Orlando. The dueling speeches came one week after Obama revealed a new immigration directive that would allow some illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States by their parents to avoid deportation.
• Century Village, long a Democratic stronghold, is changing (By Ana Veciana-Suarez, Miami Herald) Century Village — the largest condo development in Broward County — is now 60 percent Democratic, down from 77 percent in 2002. Meanwhile, registered Republicans have jumped from about 18 percent to 23.6 percent. But it’s the independent and no-party-affiliation voters who can claim the prize: They grew from 5 percent in 2002 to a hefty 16.3 percent today, according to voter registration records from the county’s Supervisor of Elections. Put another way, that’s a 17 percent shift away from the Democrats.
• Independents: Do they still believe in Obama's change? (By Matt Towery, Florida Times Union - Jacksonville) But of independent voters, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll, only 38 percent have a favorable view of President Barack Obama's economic plans.
• Anna in the Swing States: Colorado's Swinging Suburbs and Untapped Latino Voters (By Anna Sale, WNYC/It's a Free Country) The Colorado electorate is largely broken up in thirds among Democrats, Republicans, and independents. Since 2008, the ranks of the unaffiliated, independent voters have grown in Colorado, and Democrats and Republicans now make up a slightly smaller percentage of registered voters in Colorado than they did four years ago. Much of the registration gains for Democrats and independents has happened in congressional districts with urban areas, contributing to the Democrats' recent success there… Further north along the Wyoming border, the suburban voters in Larimer County backed Obama in 2008 but narrowly split in the 2010 midterms… Independent, unaffiliated voters have the registration edge over both Republicans and Democrats here.

THIRD PARTY CANDIDATES

• Playing field uneven for third-party hopefuls (by Paul Singer, Source: USA TODAY in Tucson Citizen) According to Richard Winger— editor of Ballot Access News and an expert in the field — there are probably fewer than a half-dozen minor parties that will qualify for the presidential ballot in more than five states: “It will be Democrats; Republicans; Libertarian; Green; Constitution; Party for Socialism and Liberation; Justice; and Socialist Workers Party and no others, probably,” he said in an e-mail. “The Socialist Party has a remote chance.”
• Goode’s third-party run: Bad news for Romney in Virginia? Ex-lawmaker: I’ll take votes from both (By David Sherfinski, The Washington Times) The latest Real Clear Politics average of polls has Mr. Obama with a two-point lead in the state over Mr. Romney — 47 percent to 45 percent. But figures released in May by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling raised the eyebrows of many poll-watchers and pundits. Mr. Obama topped Mr. Romney by eight points in Virginia, 51 percent to 43 percent, in the PPP poll. If Mr. Goode was on the ballot, however, Mr. Obama’s lead over Mr. Romney increased to 12 points, at 50 percent to 38 percent, with Mr. Goode taking 5 percent of the vote.

Hankster News of the Day for Independent Voters - June 26

VIRGINIA INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE
Howell Vows to Wear Name Tag Until Election (by Katie Pyzyk, Arlington VA Now) Howell believes part of the problem with campaigning, particularly as an independent, is the lack of name recognition. To remedy that problem, he’ll wear a name tag every time he’s in public until the election. Howell hopes he’ll get enough exposure so people will recognize his name by the time they get to the polls. He said there’s only one exception to the name tag rule: “When I’m wearing a campaign t-shirt in the gym.”

CALIFORNIA INDEPENDENTS
California GOP sinking into third-party status -- 'There's no middle,' says a longtime Santa Cruz County Republican who has joined the more than one-fifth of registered voters who have no party preference. (By George Skelton Capitol Journal, LA Times) More than one-fifth of registered voters, 21.3%, are listed with no party preference, according to the Secretary of State. That's double the 10.7% in 1996 and more than quadruple the 5% in 1972.

WASHINGTON STATE INDEPENDENTS
All eyes on Washington's independent voters -- Even though Washington state has gone Democratic for every governor since 1980 and every presidential candidate since 1988, more Washingtonians have considered themselves Independents than either Democrats or Republicans (By H. Stuart Elway, Special to The Seattle Times) Unlike in most states, voters here do not have to register by party. Nearly every month for the past 20 years, The Elway Poll has asked Washington voters what they would choose to do if they registered by party. The 20-year average is: 33 percent would register as Democrats, 28 percent as Republicans and 39 percent as Independents.

UTAH PRIMARIES
Independent voters may be shut out of GOP primaries - Lawmakers may allow law to expire, ending Election Day party switch. (By Lee Davidson, The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah law allows voters to switch party affiliations anytime, except for 30 days before an election when all voter registration temporarily ceases. So if the current law expires, unaffiliated voters wishing to vote in a GOP primary would have to register as Republicans at least 30 days before the election.

OHIO INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING
Let's take politics out of redistricting process (Mary Kirtz Van Nortwick, Cleveland Plain Dealer) Petitions are being circulated now, and 386,000 valid signatures must be gathered by July 3. For a more detailed look at the proposed constitutional amendment, go to votersfirstohio.org. Learn the facts about the consequences of partisan redistricting and find out what you can do to help change the system for the good of all voters, regardless of party affiliation.

ARIZONA PRIMARIES
Arizona Libertarian Party Opens 2012 Primary Election to Independent Voters (by Hot Off The Press, Press Release, Tucson Citizen) Libertarian Party files paperwork with the Arizona Secretary of State’s office requesting an open primary on August 28th, 2012. The Chairman and Board of the Arizona Libertarian Party have voted to open the August 28, 2012 Libertarian Primary Election to members of political parties that are not entitled to continued representation on the ballot pursuant to section ARS 16-804, and to voters who are registered as independent or no party preferred.

NY POLITICS

• New Endorsements Announced For 2012 Candidates Across The Empire State (BY James Arkin, Daily News/Daily Politics) State Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky took home two endorsements on the day - one from the Independence Party of New York State and leaders of the Working Families Party in Queens.
• As Queens Looks to Fill a Congressional Seat, the Democratic Race Is Wide Open (By DAVID W. CHEN, NY Times/ NY Region) In an interview, the low-key Ms. Meng vowed that she would be an independent force in Washington who would focus primarily on transportation, infrastructure and economic issues. “When I’m drafting or supporting legislation, no one is whispering in my ear except constituents,” she said. “I’ve never had political rabbis.”
• New York Congressional race pits ex-Black Panther vs. Obama-lite moderate (Opinion by David A. Love, NBC News/The Grio)

Virginia Senate Candidate Sues for Access to Debates

OPEN DEBATES
Senate candidate files lawsuit seeking to join December Kaine-Allen debate (By Ben Pershing, Washington Post/ Virginia Politics) Modica’s lawsuit argues that excluding him from the December debate ”based on standards, defined and created behind closed doors, that, theoretically and practically, only two former Virginia Governors can meet is like excluding your youngest son from Christmas celebrations just because he lives in Northern Virginia.”

Increasingly Toxic Level of Hyper Partisanship in Richmond

INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING
Voters crowd redistricting meeting - Competition top concern on new political boundaries (By Kimball Payne, Hampton Daily Press) John Stone, who spoke on behalf of the civic group The Future of Hampton Roads, warned that the lack of balance in districts leaves lawmakers less inclined to compromise because there is little fear of partisan blowback. He said redistricting fuels "the increasingly toxic level of hyper partisanship in Richmond" and keeps lawmakers at odds over how to fund roads and how to spend state money.

California Prop 14 Open Primaries: What about the will of the people? Proposition 14

And while we're talking about the new California voting system, let's remember that it won 54% in a primary election.

CALIFORNIA PROP 14

• EDITORIAL: Open primaries: What about will of the people? (The Bakersfield Californian) Hey, what about the will of the people? What about all of those voters who unambiguously declared their support for a top-two runoff?
• Calif. GOP rejects divisive open primary plan (By JULIET WILLIAMS, Associated Press, Bakersfield Now.com) California Republicans on Sunday approved a compromise that leaves in place the current nominating system for GOP candidates in 2012 and will let party members use mail-in balloting to endorse candidates for office starting in 2014.
• California GOP struggles with internal strife (Joe Garofoli,Carla Marinucci, San Francisco Chronicle) Republicans, believing that the system could "disenfranchise" them in a state where they are vastly outnumbered, looked for a way for the party to influence the process.
• Most Republican presidential hopefuls skip California GOP convention (By Jack Chang, The Sacramento Bee) Most of the convention action focused on how to deal with voter-approved Proposition 14, the open-primary measure, which all but cut out parties from the nominating process. The proposition didn't affect presidential primaries.
• Republicans vote to nominate candidates by mail to sidestep 'top-two primary' system - California Republicans vote to enact a sweeping end-run around the spirit of the "top-two primary" system adopted by voters as Proposition 14. The party decides to conduct a mail-in nominating process with all registered GOP voters before the primary election. (By Seema Mehta and Maeve Reston, Los Angeles Times)
• The GOP searches for relevance post-Proposition 14 (Opinion L.A. - OPED by Jon Healey, LA Times) You might argue that the pre-primary is, as Mehta and Reston put it, "a sweeping end-run around the spirit" of the new primary system. (I'm still trying to figure out how one would run around a spirit, but I digress.) But what are the parties supposed to do in a new system that essentially amounts to a general election and a runoff?
• State Republican Party leaders seek to hold onto clout despite open primary - At the party's convention this weekend, bosses will attempt to curb the effect of the 'top-two' voting system passed by voters last year and maintain their influence over candidates. (By Michael J. Mishak, Los Angeles Times)
• U.S. District Court Holds Hearing in California Case on Party Label Discrimination (Ballot Access News) The judge seemed uncomfortable with this case, and suggested that party labels on the ballot are not important, because candidates can describe themselves in the Voters Pamphlet. 
• California GOP rejects divisive open primary plan (By JULIET WILLIAMS Associated Press, Mercury News) The party was beset by infighting during its weekend spring convention in Sacramento over how to respond to Proposition 14, the voter-approved ballot measure that was intended to produce more moderate candidates for office from both political parties. Under that system, the top two candidates advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. The GOP delegates on Sunday passed a plan that calls on the party to let members vote by mail to nominate candidates, starting in 2014. It was unclear how the vote-by-mail process will occur, how much it will cost or whether it will have any real effect on campaigns by discouraging other Republicans from aggressively contesting primary seats.
• Marin Voice: Open primaries are coming (By Richard Rubin, Guest op-ed column, Marin Independent Journal) The landscape is strewn with the carcasses of political parties, beginning with the Federalists in 1789 led by Alexander Hamilton, which pretty much vanished by the War of 1812. Between its founding and now, no less than 116 parties have hoisted their standards. Not all fielded candidates. Many lasted only a few years. About 50 survive today, but few of any note.
• Calif. Republicans debate future amid budget drama (AP -- San Francisco Chronicle) Another proposal, introduced by Nehring, would let party leaders officially endorse Republican candidates ahead of primaries. It is an attempt to blunt the impact of Proposition 14, the voter-approved measure that allows the top two vote-getters to advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. Opponents of Nehring's plan, including nearly all Republicans in the state's congressional delegation and Legislature, say it would disenfranchise Republican voters and cut off funding for candidates who survive the primary but did not win the party's official endorsement.
• Republicans should listen to Kevin McCarthy (By Judy Lloyd, Co-owner of Altamont Solutions, Fox & Hounds Daily) California’s highest ranking Congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy has become active in this debate. He is co-sponsoring a measure with State Senate Leader Bob Dutton and Assembly Leader Connie Conway. The plan focuses on the principle that Republican voters should decide who their nominees are – not party insiders.
• Contra Costa Times Readers' Forum: GOP voters should pick party nominees (By Judy Lloyd, Inside Bay Area - Oakland Tribune) California's highest-ranking congressional Republican, Kevin McCarthy, has become active in this debate. He is co-sponsoring a measure with state Senate Leader Bob Dutton and Assembly Leader Connie Conway. The plan focuses on the principle that Republican voters should decide who their nominees are -- not party insiders.

INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING PROCESS ON THE LINE - VIRGINIA'S EXAMPLE

• The rigged redistricting process (By Thomas E. Mann and and Norman J. Ornstein, EDITORIAL Washington Post) Voters are supposed to choose their representatives, but the flawed redistricting process in our nation too often allows representatives to choose their voters. This rigged game is in full flower in Virginia, which has an accelerated redistricting process this year because elections for its House of Delegates and Senate take place in November. State Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw (D) was stunningly candid in a recent radio interview in describing the process politicians would follow to redraw the lines.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 11/9/09

A round-up of the most recent stories over the past week or so reveals a heavy emphasis on the performance of independent voters in the Gov races in NJ and PA and a striking omission of the election of the first independent mayor of New York City on the Independence Party line. Clearly organized independents, such as the NYC IP, are a danger to the status quo, so much so that almost all the media, including the blogosphere, is ignoring them.

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Serious as a Heart Attack: The Independent’s Story (By Jackie Salit (new deal 2.0, A Project of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute)
• Sucking Sound - Tuesday’s groundswells were less about a GOP renaissance than the return of the Perotistas. (By John Heilemann, New York Magazine/Intelligencer) Yes, that’s right, the Perot voter is back with a vengeance... “If there’s a trend, it’s that independents are anti-incumbent; all sitting leadership officials are polling poorly with independents,” says Daily Kos’s Markos Moulitsas.
• Both parties feel independents' wrath (By DAVE HELLING, The Kansas City Star) “Independents want more direct participation in the policymaking process,” Salit said. “They want leadership that makes decisions based on what’s good for a community, a city, a state, a country.”
• Obama transformative? Or Clinton-Lite? (JOHN BRUMMETT, Pahrump Valley Times, Nye County NV) Today's independents tend to be results-oriented, impatient and disdainful. So the nation hangs on to a seesaw they control.
• Obama's So Speedy, It Looks Like He's Hardly Moved. (Tim Fernholz, American Prospect/Tapped) David Brooks has a column on the independents in the wake of Tuesday's election, deploying his usual technique of communing with them via stereotypes -- "They’re looking for a safe pair of hands." NOTE: While I don't share the political perspective of this article or the American Prospect (far from it), I do appreciate Tim Fernholz calling David Brooks out on relating to independents as some Idealized Form (in DB's mind?) rather than as the real people they are...
• Is David Brooks Punking Me? (Noam Scheiber, The New Republic) So yesterday I posted an item complaining about the line of argument that attributes Tuesday's election results to the fact that Democrats had strayed too far from the center, had done too much to quickly, were expanding government too far, etc., etc. I argued that it was much more plausible that voters--particularly the independent voters who decide elections--were just pissed off about the economy. To believe the former, you'd have to believe that these voters have well worked-out views about the proper size of government, and that they're supremely self-aware about where they stand on the ideological spectrum, and where politicians stand relative to them at any given moment, which strikes me as a bit implausible.
• We cannot tolerate intolerance, but how do we avoid the trap of Liberalism? (GBH, Cannibal Planet - Where the Rich Eat the Poor) I've been standing out in Left field for a long time. Watching the game. The infield dominated by the Dems and Repubs. Watching them throw the ball back and forth. The Dems just are trying to keep the game alive while the Repubs just want to keep the ball. Me? Sitting here with the Outfield - Cynthia McKinney, Ralph Nader, Noam Chomsky, and Lenora Fulani among others.
• Like the British in 1775: Empire before citizens (LETTER: Free Lance Star - Fredericksburg VA) As for me, frankly, I'm just plain tired of the partisanship and hypocrisy of both parties.
• Independent Voters and Empty Explanations (by Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight.com) Independent voters are treated as a cause, when all that they really are is a symptom. 

GOV RACES

• Obama cedes the center (By Michael Gerson, Washington Post) Obama won just under half of Virginia independent voters last year. On Tuesday, McDonnell carried 66 percent.
• Dems see lessons in defeat of Deeds (By: Jonathan Martin, Politico) Kaine was also an advocate for not watering down the message. “I don’t think there’s a problem with just [saying], ‘Hey, gosh I’m a Democrat, and I’m proud of it, and let me tell you why,’” he said. “I don’t think you need to back away from it at all.” But, seeing swing voters flee the Democratic Party, that’s not what Deeds did.

BLOOMBERG 09

• New York City Independence Party Breaks Records (Donklephant)
• Tuesday’s results on top and down ballot: The closer you look, the worse it was for Democrats (Posted by Brad Smith, RedState) They even gained a couple seats on the New York City Council (in addition to the re-election of their sort-of Republican Mayor Bloomberg). NOTE: Mike Bloomberg is a registered nonpartisan (independent) and ran on the Independence Party line, where he got 26% of his vote.
• This ‘change’ wasn’t what many expected (Douglas Turner, Buffalo News) Disillusioned independents voted overwhelmingly for Republicans Bob McDonnell in Virginia and Chris Christie in New Jersey, and nudged Bloomberg across the line for the third and last time. 
• Incumbents bear brunt of voter anger (By IRENE JAY LIU, Capitol bureau, Albany Times Union) In New York City, Bloomberg received the lowest five-borough vote total of any mayoral winner in a generation, with an estimated 25 percent voter turnout.
• The New Power Generation-Bloomberg may have squeaked back in as king—but now he has two ambitious princes to contend with. (By Chris Smith, New York Magazine) Bloomberg will also face, for the first time in eight years, a sustained challenge from the other two citywide officeholders, De Blasio and John Liu, the comptroller-elect
• For Judges Standing By, a Quiet Election Day (Corey Kilgannon, The New York Times/City Room) Featuring Ed Brady at the BoE...

ATLANTA MAYOR RACE

• Kasim Reed has been endorsed by Georgia Independent Voters and is now in a runoff against Mary Norwood

WORKING FAMILIES PARTY

• Former top judge to lead Working Families Party probe-The labor-backed political organization hires former New York state Court of Appeals Judge Judith Kaye to review its operations after critics charged it skirted certain laws. (By Daniel Massey, Crains New York)

KINSTON NC

• Anatomy of an upset-B.J. Murphy's victory Tuesday night still surprising observers (Bryan C. Hanks, ENC Today) Following the DOJ’s controversial decision to keep Kinston’s municipal elections partisan in August, Cousins easily defeated political newcomer Ronnie Isler in September’s Democratic primary and moved on to Tuesday’s election.  NOTE: Murphy supported nonpartisan elections and spoke out during the campaign against the DoJ decision
• Power to the party--ELECTION '09: Democrats and Republicans in Kinston, N.C., plan their next move against a federal veto of nonpartisan elections (Jamie Dean, World Magazine - Today's News Christian Views) In the small town of Kinston, N.C., B.J. Murphy did something extraordinary on Election Day: The 29-year-old sales director for a local real estate company became the first Republican elected 

MEDIA

• Failing the Midterms -- Press overplays election results (FAIR - Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) Republican candidates won gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia on Tuesday; meanwhile, Democratic candidates won two special elections for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York and California. But it was very clear which set of elections corporate media wanted to portray as sending an important message about national politics--that voters were discontented with the White House and wanted Democrats to move to the right.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

OPEN PRIMARIES
Voters will have to see through the mud that will be slung by the parties against open primaries in California

• Less than a year from now: Freedom from ideological gridlock? (By Thomas Elias, San Diego Source/Daily Transcript)

LOCAL INDEPENDENT POLITICS
Governor races start up -- and here are some interesting independent campaigns to watch:

• VA: Poll: McDonnell at 49% and Deeds at 43% (By Jim Nolan, Richmond Times Dispatch) According to Public Policy, McDonnell has picked up more support among independent voters and holds a 54-33 advantage over Deeds in that category.... Deeds has a 4-1 edge over McDonnell among blacks, who came out in unprecedented numbers last fall and helped Barack Obama carry the state.
• MA: Campaign 2010: Cahill to split party, switch to unenrolled (By Jim O’Sullivan/State House News Service, Bedford MA Minuteman)
• NE: Sen. White moves toward race with Terry (By Robynn Tysver, OMAHA WORLD-HERALD)
• FL: Lining up to be next governor of Florida (Historic City News) Peter Allen: The Riverview resident, 60, founded the Independence Party of Florida in 2001. The electrical contractor wants third parties to demand an open primary.

MJ

• "Would There Be A President Obama Without Michael Jackson?" (by Jim Buck, Jim Buck Blog)
• "I want his children to know there was nothing strange about your daddy, it was strange what your daddy had to deal with." - Rev. Al Sharpton yesterday at the Michael Jackson Memorial, Staples Center, L.A. (Politico)
  
  
  NEW YORK POLITICS
  2 independent State Senators speak out for reform: Sen. Pedro Espada has been joined by Sen. Frank Padavan in calling for fair rules for everyone in the NY State Senate...
  
• 30 DAYS – NO RESULTS-Senate mess enters second month (BY PETE DAVIS, Queens Courier)
• GOP has a plan; Espada said he knows Dems who are ready for vote for it (By DAVID LOMBARDO, Legislative Gazette)
• Golisano Defends Coup (Politics on the Hudson)
• Ending state Senate mess would be easy - Albany lawmakers just need to come together, right now (Bill Hammond, Daily News)
• Gov. urged to appoint No. 2, break Senate impasse-A Queens assemblyman, reform groups call on governor to appoint a lieutenant governor who could break tie in Senate, but some question the legality of such a move. (By Erik Engquist , Crains New York)

ELSEWHERE
No one expects much opposition to Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court, endorsements are rolling in, but the jury is still out...

• Sotomayor's Critics and Fans (Posted by Prerana Swami , CBS News/Political Hotsheet)
• Bloomberg Steps Up (Again) For Sotomayor (Elizabeth Benjamin, Daily News/Daily Politics)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS:

Bush-haters won't stop McCain (Politico) In Ohio, 72 percent of independents who said they wouldn't vote for McCain identified as Dem leaners, 9% as independents....

OBAMA SPEECH: A Bridge Between Blacks and Whites: Obama Provides America With ‘a Teaching Moment’ About Racism (Amsterdam News)

PRIMARIES:

• Special Dossier: Presidential Primaries-Irregularities in California Ballot Spell “Double Trouble”. (Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign, Philadelphia Jewish Voice)


• Idaho Bills for Closed Primary (Ballot Access News)


• Idaho Closed primary bill passes Senate- heated exchange (Magic Valley Times-News)


• For just once, Oregon matters (The Gresham Outlook Editorial)


• Republican “Open Primary” Lawsuit in Virginia is Now Over (Ballot Access News)


• Obama Plays Catch-Up in Pennsylvania (Time)

NEW YORK: Will Paterson Effect Future of State Senate? (WXXI News Room - Public Broadcasting) 56% of independent voters, not aligned with any party, said the Republicans should stay in control of the Senate.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Hillary Clinton has an uphill climb ahead ( Seattle Post Intelligencer)
• Secretary of State requests review of LA County ballots (San Francisco Chronicle)
• R.I. sees surge in new-voter registration (Providence Journal) Independents can vote in either presidential primary. Of the last four months of voter signups, about 6,800 enrolled as Democrats, roughly 1,900 became Republicans and more than 12,000 registered as independents, a category deemed “unaffiliated” in state political argot.
• The Chronicle endorses the senator from Illinois (Houston Chronicle)
• Bill Clinton sweeps through East Texas (Austin American Statesman) Obama's lead in one poll attributed to independents
• Charles Barkley: Conservatives are 'fake Christians' (Raw Story) [Barkley's statement that he's an independent was edited out of this version]
• Charles Barkley Calls Conservatives 'Fake Christians,' Likes Obamanomics (Business & Media Institute)
• Another poll gives Obama an edge in Texas (Austin American Statesman)
• Virginia Nonpartisan redistricting plan defeated (Richmond Times Dispatch)
• The 2/3 Southbound, 96th St, 11:30 pm (Chew your grouse blog) "Actually, Lenora Fulani has been running for years, and she's a black woman."

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

HANKSTER LEDE: Power failure: Voter discontent could make this year’s election like no other in recent years (Beaver County Times)

POTOMAC PRIMARY

• VA: Huge numbers turn out to vote for Obama (Daily Press) More voters chose Obama than all the Repub candidates combined; Obama rang up huge margins and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said that means independent voters are opting for the Illinois senator
• Va. steps into role on national stage (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH) Obama won every district except one; VA primary was a test of standing with independents for both McCain and Obama
• Obama Crushes Clinton In Potomac Primary (CBS/AP) with exit polls
• Assessing the GOP's Chances (Wall Street Journal) It was the defection of independents, not conservatives, that caused the Democratic landslide in the congressional elections in 2006.
• Exit polls for Potomac primaries show support for Obama ran wide (CNN)
• Exit poll: Why Obama and McCain won Va. (By: David Paul Kuhn, Politico)

OKLAHOMA: Subpar Tuesday: Primary lost in the shuffle (NewsOK) State should consider open primary for presidential elections

INDIANA: Presidential campaign leaders preparing for Ind. primary (WISH TV) Obama petition filing becomes rally

WISCONSIN: New poll has Obama, McCain leading in Wisconsin (Wausau Daily Herald) among independents, his margin is much larger, 63-25. Wisconsin holds an open primary, meaning party registration is not required to vote.

Can you vote???? Tonight at 6:45pm EST

From what I understand, you have 15 minutes to go vote in Virginia if you are an independent (or any!!!!!) voter. INDEPENDENTS GO VOTE!

Maryland: If you are an independent voter in Maryland, you can NOT vote in the primary...

If you are an independent voter in the District of Columbia, you can NOT vote in the primary...

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Roots: Hillary winning the black establishment in South Carolina, Obama running second place, Edwards battling for black vote (The State), Blacks skeptical Obama is electable (Washington Times) -- and Yes, South Carolina, there IS an Independence Party, says Wayne Griffin!


• Sen. John Warner to retire (Politico), the fight for his Senate seat begins (Richmond Times Dispatch), Virginian Often Opposed Own Party (Washington Post) -- and Yes, Virginia does not have party registration--independent voters make all the difference....

Open Primaries Benefit Independent Voters

OPEN PRIMARY OPTIONS

* Virginia: GOP committee wants to avoid open primary (Freelance Star) because Dems and independents would determine the Repub candidate in an open primary situation...

* Connecticut: Lieberman should have been required to submit independent sigs before the primary (Norwich Bulletin) -- some independents protested Lieberman's signatures even AFTER the primary as not by the book -- See: Jacqueline Salit in the press during September 2006: ..."There is mounting concern among independent voters in Connecticut that Mr. Lieberman's so called 'independent candidacy' is a fraud on the voting public," states Salit. "He is not an independent, but is rather a Democrat who availed himself of an escape hatch in state Election Law allowing to reinvent himself as an 'independent-in-name-only' candidate after he lost his own party's primary."...

Virginia Gov endorses Obama

Virginia’s governor endorses Obama
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Gov. Timothy M. Kaine endorsed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign Saturday within sight of the former Confederate Capitol.
Obama picked up his second gubernatorial endorsement.
Before Obama announced plans to run for president earlier this month, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he would back the Democrat’s candidacy.... (Northwest Herald - IL)