On Election Day, just 35 of the 435 congressional seats up for election will have a competitive race, with less than half the voting population likely to vote in the 2014 midterm elections.
The cornerstone of our democracy -- elections -- are becoming so utterly predictable that the House of Representatives does not represent the majority of Americans, who are increasingly choosing not to register with either major party.
In fact, 42 percent of likely U.S. voters now self-identify as independent voters, with party registration in key battleground states suffering.
Why are more and more voters becoming independent voters?
"Because I am a citizen of the United States of America, and that trumps being a Democrat or a Republican." - Amy Daniels
"Because I vote for issues and not political parties." - Ivette Ferrer
"Because I have this radical notion that I should voice my own beliefs rather than let my personal opinions be constrained by a party platform." - Dodge Dakota
"Because not one single person in the history of ever has had the exact thoughts and beliefs I do, many similar, but not exact. So how would one party or the other, which is a big group of people with an agenda, have all the views I ever will have." - Josh Dennert
"Because there are usually more than 2 sides of a problem. Isn't it sad that GOP and Democrats won't think outside their parties." - Roger Horvath
"Because I don't like kool-aid." - Elise Hokman
"Because I vote for individuals instead of by party. I've never voted down straight party lines and I have voted for both Dems and Repubs in several different elections. Limiting ourselves to two parties is just expanding the divisiveness and partisanship that we currently have which does not get anything done for the good of the American people." - Crystal Felice
"Because I am an informed voter ... I want to make an informed choice and vote for the right person for the job ..... not the party." - Judy Green
"Options baby, options." - Matt Gross
"I like to make my own decisions, not be told how I should think!" - William E. Hines
"I am pro gun and pro choice." - Rachael Dee
"I believe that each party has good and bad ideals and look for politicians who can work for solutions with any party." - Lee Thomas
"Because I want to vote for people who are concerned about Our Country, and not about getting re-rlected as their first priority!" - Phil Bush
"I have found no home in the Democratic or Republican Party." - Ronald Duane Grace Jr.
"Because I don't like the politics of either party." - Cheryl Comento
"I'm independent minded about everything else. Why not this?" - Thomas Painter
"Because I am finding I have less in common with either party." - Barbara Wilson Stevens
"Tired of the blame game!" - Jordan Briley
"Because it's my right..." - Bob Lambert
"I have always voted person, not a party." - Carole Janish Wilson
Ethan Penner, a Calabasas businessman, author, and educator with a storied career in real estate finance, has officially announced his intention to run for California governor in 2026 as an independent. On his campaign website, Penner says he is running to “disrupt the failing two-party system.”
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Right now, the divide between the Republican and Democratic Parties appears beyond repair. The political rhetoric is toxic, the nation’s leadership puts party gain before lasting solutions, and few voters actually feel heard by the people elected to represent them. At a time when it seems things will only get worse from here, the Independent Voter Project filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court along with Open Primaries and the Forward Party in support of a lawsuit that targets one of the biggest culprits behind all of this....
There may be no greater indication that voters are not being listened to in the escalating redistricting war between the Republican and Democratic Parties than a new poll from NBC News that shows 8-in-10 Americans want the parties to stop....
Jane Susskind
