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INDEPENDENTVOTING.ORG NETWORKS

• Ruy the Day! A Review of Ruy Teixeira’s Review of The Swing Vote: The Untapped Power of Independents by Linda Killian (by Jacqueline Salit, Huffington Post) Wow! For a man (actually, make that a MAN) who has devoted his political career to resuscitating a Democratic Party governing majority (he co-wrote The Emerging Democratic Majority in 2002), you would think he’d be a little more cautious about denouncing independents. Otherwise, his hoped for majority may get another slam, as it did in 2010 when independents expressed their disappointment and frustration with President Obama’s inability to conquer the partisanship in Washington, including the partisanship of his own party. Ruy might rue the day he tried to tear down Killian and the volatile movement-in-the-making she writes about.
• LINDA KILLIAN OUTBREAK: The Uses of Polarization (By THOMAS B. EDSALL, NY Times/ The Opinion Pages/ Campaign Stops) At the same time, the percentage of the electorate that can accurately be described as independent — without partisan allegiance — has shrunk to about 7 percent, according to Ruy Teixeira of the Brookings Institution. While the importance of such voters has diminished, in a closely balanced contest these relatively uninvolved men and women have the power to determine the outcome: in the 12 presidential elections from 1964 to 2008, four – 1968, 1976, 2000 and 2004 – have been decided by 2.5 percentage points or less.
• Historic Bond Ties African-Americans and Independents Together (LETTER The Hankster, by Bob Friedman, PHOTOS online) Last week I joined Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network on the march from Selma to Montgomery. I am one of the 40% of Americans who are independent of both of the major parties. Back in the days of Ross Perot, the media called guys like me “angry white men.” Along the route, I spoke with many people and brought greetings from Dr. Lenora Fulani, the country’s leading African American independent with whom I’ve worked closely and from IndependentVoting.org, the country’s largest organization of independent voters of which I’m a part.
• YOUR VIEW: Independent voters disfranchised in many states because of parties (Bob Friedman, Letters from our readers By Letters from our readers, Alabama.com) I want to respond to and applaud the Your Views letter “Alabama’s closed primary infringes on voters’ rights” in the March 10 Birmingham News by sharing the following. I couldn’t agree more that since we pay for the primaries, they should be nonpartisan, more like “top two” as they have in California.
• The black vote: 5 states where Obama needs a big African-American turnout (By Perry Bacon Jr.,The Grio) President Obama’s campaign will likely need the kind of strong black turnout he received in 2008 to win re-election, particularly if some of the white independent voters who backed him four years ago opt for the Republican candidate because of frustration over the president’s tenure.

The Hankster

Alaska - Open Primary: Parties select who may vote in their primaries. To vote in the GOPprimary, a voter must be registered as a Republican 30 days beforeElection Day.

Georgia - Open: No party affiliation required at registration. However, on ElectionDay, voters must declare an oath of intent to affiliate with theparticular party for whom they are voting on Election Day.

Idaho - Closed: Until 2011, all Idaho primaries were open. Independents intervened in a lawsuit brought by a faction of the Republican Party seeking to close their primaries. However, the GOP obtained adeclaratory judgment that mandating open primaries violated freedom ofassociation and was thus unconstitutional in Idaho Republican Party v. Ysura. Subsequently, the legislature passed a bill allowing parties to choose which type ofprimary they use. Democrats have chosen a semi-closed primary;unaffiliated voters may register a party at the polls on election day,but they are bound to that party affiliation at the next election.

Massachusetts - Semi-Closed: Affiliated voters must vote in the primary of their party; however, unaffiliated voters may vote in either primary.

North Dakota – Closed: The only state without voter registration. To vote in the Republicancaucus you must have affiliated with the Republican Party in the lastgeneral election or intend to do so in the next election.

Ohio - Closed: Voters’ right to vote in the primary may be challenged on the basisthat they are not affiliated with the party for whom they are voting inthe primary.

Oklahoma - Closed: Only voters affiliated with a particular party may vote in its primary.

Tennessee - Open: No party affiliation required at registration. 

Vermont - Open: No registration by party. For presidential primary, voters must declare which ballots they want.

Virginia - Open: No party affiliation required at registration.

source: FairVote

The Hankster

INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING
Lawmakers Pledge to Reform, But Gerrymandering Keeps Getting Worse (by John Avlon, Daily Beast) In New York, 186 state legislators swore to support non-partisan redistricting efforts when they ran for office in the angry, anti-incumbent year of 2010. Most came down with convenient amnesia when they got back to Albany. The brinksmanship has continued despite promises by Governor Andrew Cuomo to veto nakedly partisan district lines and the efforts of good government group coalitions like ReShapeNY (on which, full disclosure, I serve on the advisory board.) Not only are New York’s redistricting maps still not set, initial glimpses have shown the same old partisan games, with potential rivals drawn out into different districts by incumbents seeking to preserve their power at almost any cost. Mediators and judges are now looming over the legislative impasse. One key dynamic to watch is whether a deal is struck that would at least try to move a state constitutional change forward to create an independent commission in ten years’ time. The principle of short-term self-interest predictably outpaces ethics or honor. New York is one of only two states in the nation to have not yet even voted on lines that will be on the ballot this fall.

The Hankster

Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad will be Dr. Fulani’s guest at this month’s Interview by a Black Independent. Dr. Muhammad is the new Director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. He is a prize winning author. In a recent NY 1 profile , Cheryl Wills had this to say about Dr. Muhammad: “A former professor of history at Indiana University, Muhammad recently authored “The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime and The Making of Modern Urban America.” He says he is ready to take the Center into the digital age and is eager to enlist the next generation to help him achieve his goal to keep history relevant.” Please join Dr. Fulani for a lively conversation with Dr. Muhammad on Friday, February 24th at 6pm.

The Hankster

Independents will be key to upcoming California elections (Jason Olson LETTER Sac Bee) In 2012 — for the first time in living memory — independent voters will play a major role in all of California’s elections.

Re “Democrats go at GOP, each other” (Capitol & California, Feb. 13): In 2012 — for the first time in living memory — independent voters will play a major role in all of California’s elections.

Thanks to open primaries and redistricting reform passed by voters in previous elections, all candidates now must run against each other in an open field, where all voters can participate. To get elected, candidates now need to win the support of independent voters. Independent voters have no intention of giving that support away for free.

Independents are deeply concerned about a political dialogue dominated by what’s best for the parties rather than what’s best for the American people. Independents want critical reforms to our political process to shift that balance of power away from the parties and towards the voters. Candidates looking to win their elections should take note of the independent movement for nonpartisan reform.

– Jason Olson, San Francisco

The Hankster

• STATE: Partisan trenches (THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE – Riverside CA) New voter registration totals from the secretary of state once again show that the large political parties hold a shrinking share of the electorate, while the number of independent voters continues to grow. Democrats now compose 43.6 percent of the state’s more than 17 million registered voters, while Republicans make up 30.4 percent of voters. But 21.2 percent of registered voters — more than one in five — now identify with no political party.
• Rise of registered Republicans on the Treasure Coast (WPEC – CBS 12 – St. Lucie FL) Many Independent voters are now registering Republican. Voters tell us it’s happening so they can weigh in on such an important presidential primary.
• Poll results show Rehberg-Tester Senate race in virtual tie (By ROB CHANEY of the Missoulian) Republicans made up 28 percent of the Montana poll respondents, while 24 percent declared themselves Democrats. A surprising 46 percent said they were “independent or something else,” which was the highest total among the mountain states and far above the national average. Utah was the next closest independent state (35 percent), while only 13 percent of Wyoming residents called themselves that.

The Hankster

INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTIAL RUN

• Antsy Voters Look for a Third Way – When Perot First Ran, 39% Were Dissatisfied; Today It’s 81%. ‘Something Is Going to Explode’ (By NEIL KING JR., Wall Street Journal) So far, no national figure has stepped forward to run outside the two-party system. But some veteran pollsters say public disenchantment is so strong that someone is bound to try to fill the vacuum. And the opportunity is only likely to grow, they say, with the collapse this week of Congress’s bipartisan deficit-cutting committee, which many read as another sign of Washington’s inability to solve problems.
• Democrats should fear a third-party challenge in 2012 – Independent runs by Ron Paul or Sarah Palin could cripple the GOP — but they’re unlikely. A presidential bid by Michael Bloomberg, on the other hand… (Edward Morrissey, The Week)

The Hankster

The Hankster

Amherst County Democrats :

The people who represent small business and understand the job market have endorsed Bert Dodson based on his real life experiences running a small business, creating jobs and serving in local government as the best candidate to go to Richmond and help lead Virginia’s continued stability and recovery.      For a strong, working Virginia Vote Bert Dodson for 22nd District Senate.

With the change of the seasons, campaign season is here.      This week our campaign received the strong support of the National Federation of Independent Businesses.      NFIB is the premier advocate for small businesses and works with legislators to create the best environment to create jobs.      I am proud to be one of only five Democrats for State Senate to receive this endorsement.      The NFIB knows that I’m the only candidate in this race who has real experience creating jobs and that I’ll take that experience to Richmond and focus on the issues important to real working families.

Follow this link to join NFIB in supporting a job creation agenda for Richmond – today!

Today I need your help as we continue to spread our message of creating jobs, investing in education, and serving the interest of our community in the Virginia State Senate.      Making sure everyone hears our message means contacting them through the mail, on radio, and television.      To make sure we keep these crucial paid communication programs in place through election day, I need your support today.

Please click here  to give 0, 0, 0, or what you can afford – today!

Give me the chance to fight this battle and I promise to make you proud.      With a fundraising deadline at the end of September, your support before midnight on Friday means I can keep fighting for you.      Thank you for your generous support.      I look forward to celebrating victory with you.

Click this link  to help Bert before the September 30 deadline!

Sincerely,

Bert Dodson | Candidate, Virginia State Senate (22th District)

P.S.    Your help by September 30th is very important to our success! Please remember to visit   www.dodsonforsenate.com   and process your secure online contribution or mail check to:     PO Box 464, Lynchburg VA 24505.

Elect Bert Dodson

This is the most important mission facing Democrats.     Allowing the right wing tea party republicans to capture and control the agenda will spell disaster for Virginia and we must unite to stop the forces that threaten to damage our future.     The education of our children and a woman’s rights to health care are as important as jobs for our people.     A vote for Bert Dodson is a vote to protect our benefits and guard our natural recources.     A vote for Bert Dodson is the right thing to do.

When it comes to support of WIFI and Broadband for all the areas of our district and the 22nd really spreads out, Vote Dodson.    If you want to  support education and the creation of jobs Bert Dodson is the only candidate in the race.     For your future and the futures of your children, grandchildren and loved ones Vote Bert Dodson.     This election is serious, it is about the quality of our present and future lives.      Vote Democratic, Vote Dodson.

Don’t doze off and miss this election.      Vote first and then take the catnap.     Remember, Bert Dodson is purrrrrrfic!

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INDEPENDENT VOTERS
Zeb Eggert: We need more independent voters (LETTER Wisconsin State Journal) By blindly claiming to be either Democrat or Republican, we are implicitly endorsing the extremist leaders of our parties. What can we do to change this situation? How about becoming an independent voter?

The Hankster