Who are the “real independents”? Utah League of Independent Voters’ Randy Miller is one of them, and you can meet plenty more grassroots activists who are working overtime (for no pay) fighting all over the country for political reforms like open primaries and nonpartisan elections. Charlie Crist will benefit from seeking out independent voters in his new independent run for gov of Florida…
INDEPENDENT VOTERS
- Haley: Independents’ day? (By Dan Haley, The Denver Post)
- Brian Armstrong: Rise of the independent will benefit our system (Brian Armstrong, Tallahassee Democrat)
OPEN PRIMARIES – WEST VIRGINIA
- Voter registration trend toward unaffiliated (By PAMELA BRUST, News & Sentinel WV) Since both political parties have opened their primaries, the number of voters not affiliated with either party has steadily increased.
CALIFORNIA PROP 14
- Center for Governmental Studies Issues Neutral Report on Prop. 14 (Ballot Access News)
- Our View: Bring back the open primary (San Gabriel Valley Tribune)
- A year for desperate measures (Debra J. Saunders, SF Chronicle)
- Our View: Prop. 14 a win for democracy – It wouldn’t wipe out the clout of the state’s two major parties, but it would empower candidates. (Merced Sun Star)
WHAT ABOUT CHARLIE CRIST?
- What Charlie Crist’s indie bid says about GOP – and Crist himself – Gov. Charlie Crist suddenly appears competitive as a political independent in his Senate race. Was his departure from the GOP a sign of turmoil in the party, or are there other factors at play? (By Linda Feldmann, Washington, Christian Science Monitor) “He’ll receive support among independent voters and moderate Democrats,” said Justin Sayfie, ex-aide to former Gov. Jeb Bush (R), in an interview with Politico. “That’s his strength.”
- The second coming of Charlie Crist – Four years ago, most Republicans did not expect then Attorney General Crist to successfully replace the outgoing, term-limited Governor Jeb Bush. (RICHARD HERSHATTER, Longboat Keys News) In a three-candidate race, the odd man out, or independent candidate, is always the dark horse. Charlie Crist, however, is too good a candidate to waste. Abe Lincoln would have approved of his candidacy, with or without the backing of old line politicos.
- Parties Snipe at Crist, but May Court Him Later (By JEFF ZELENY, NY Times) How will the all-important independent voters along the state’s I-4 corridor, stretching across the middle of the state, view Mr. Crist?
NYC CHARTER REVISION
- Remember term limits? They’re back – Review of City Charter could reshape NYC’s government, politics (Crains New York)
More news for independent voters at The Hankster
Provocateur/ pundit/ organizer Nancy Hanks is a long-time activist in the independent political movement who’s done it all: petitioning to put independent candidates on the ballot from New York to Texas and points east, west, north and south; fundraising for the independent think tank, the Committee for a Unified Independent Party (CUIP), and its online counterpart, IndependentVoting.org; running as an independent for New York City Council from Queens, New York City’s most diverse borough; serving as the current Treasurer of the Queens County Committee of the Independence Party of New York (of the IP NYC Organizations); conducting research for the Neo-Independent, a magazine that addresses the concerns of independent voters.