The Number of Pure Independent Voters is Dwindling, Leading to an Increase in Partisanship as both Democrats and Republicans move to Rally their Bases ahead of the 2020 Presidential Race.
A Pew Research Survey released in March 2019 found that 81% of Voters who called themselves Independents actually Lean toward the Republican or Democratic Party, leaving only 7% of Americans who say they don’t Lean toward a Party.
Independents often are Portrayed as Political Free Agents with the Potential to Alleviate the Nation’s Rigid Partisan Divisions. Yet the Reality is that most Independents are Not All that “Independent” Politically. And the Small Share of Americans who are truly Independent, less than 10% of the Public has No Partisan Leaning, Stand Out, for their Low Level of Interest in Politics.
Among the Public Overall, 38% describe themselves as Independents, while 31% are Democrats, and 26% call themselves Republicans, according to surveys conducted in 2018.
These Shares have Changed only Modestly in recent years, but the Proportion of Independents is Higher than it was from 2000-2008, when No more than about a Third of the Public Identified as Independents.
But IndependentVoting has a different View.
Four in Ten Voters don’t Want to be in a Political Party. Why? Because Parties have become Special Interests, perhaps the Biggest Special Interests of All.
Independents become Independents because they are Repelled by the Current Political System, by the Self-Dealing and Arrogance of Politicians and Political Parties.
They are 43% of the Country today. Many are Young. Growing Numbers are from the Communities of Color. Among Millennials and Latinos, 50% Identify as Independent and 35% of African American between the Ages of 18-34 are Independent.
They have been, and continue to be, a Restless Engine for Political and Economic Renewal.
Independents care Deeply about our Identity. They go by many Names: “Decline to State,” “Unaligned,” “No Party Preference,” and “Other.”
In States where Independents are Forced to Join a Party to Vote in a Primary, there is Anger. Voters of All Persuasions believe this is Unfair.
When People Choose a Political Identity that is other than what the Parties want, it is an Act of Resistance and a Step towards Changing the Partisan Nature of the System.
Issues that Animate Independents across the Political Spectrum aren’t really Issues in the Traditional Sense. They are about Process, the way things Work.
After this Last Presidential Election Cycle, many People became Educated about the Pitfalls of the Process:
- Closed Primaries which Locked Out nearly 25 Million Voters
- Controlled Presidential Debates
- The Convention Delegate Selection Rules
- The Electoral College
- The Whole Process of Voting
Independent Voters became more Visible as a Result.
We Believe that Independent Voters deserve Respect, Recognition, and Reform, and we Work in Every State, from the Ground Up, to make that Possible.
As an Independent and a Member of IndependentVoting, I want to Select the Candidates, not the Party, that I support. This will only happen when the Primary/Caucus Process Changes and we can Vote on One Ballot with All the Candidates, regardless of Party.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
