Agreed. Political parties have always existed and are needed to organized the political world. However, when the main parties are being rejected by a growing number of citizens, something needs to change.

that’s a noble aspiration but I think the reality of not just the american political process but politics in general is such that more rigid affiliations like party structures are an inevitability. the key for me

While it’s a good sign that the major parties aren’t as dominant as they have been, (competition is a good thing, right?), I would be much more thrilled if satisfaction in any political party was lower.

For me,

This is good analysis of the current situation. Spot on.

I would like to buy a churro machine from Joe Perretta! Does anyone know how to get a hold of him????

Thanks Richard, it was quite the trek, slogging through the various secretary of state websites. I’m really blown away no one compiles all this data in one central place already.

For me, being registered as an independent voter means being registered the correct way. The writing and adoption of the Constitution created independent voter and independent candidates for office by saying

Great post, quick and to the point. To me, being independent means not just accepting a position on an issue without critically thinking about it. It’s rather subjective and it’s almost impossible to tell if

I was talking about this yesterday. Imagine what a failed launch of nuclear waste into space would look like! I’d be a bit hesitant to put tons of nuclear waste on a rocketship into the air.

But at some point

Why would any Independent want to vote with the person who aligns with the party that is so over the top, un-Independent, and not interested in governing at its very ideological core?

Why choose the people who

The probem I have with these wipes is nuclear powered energy leaves in its wake mass distruction and messy hot active crap that needs to be stored for thousands of years. are you kidding me? we store it on Indian

I am amazed that the numbers are that high. Especially in closed primary states where you can’t even vote unless you join a party.

Even 25% is 10x higher than 2.5% Richard.

To me, it means approaching each issue on its own merits; no self-starters.

It’s a lot of work gathering this kind of data, and I salute Alex for doing it. I do it in even numbered years. The last time I did it, for all the states in the nation that have registration by party or

The frustrating thing is that laws like this aren’t meant to contribute to ethical abortion policies, they’re stepping stones toward banning abortion entirely. In other words, if the far right can’t outlaw

I’ve seen far fewer Democrats looking to buck the party line but they are still out there. Would be great to look into who’s trying to pull the two sides together on the blue side of the aisle.

On the contrary Don. Are you talking about my paraphrasing what a former White house adviser said?. It just adds to the fact that there are millions of people not satisfied with, particularly with Congress for not

So, instead of trying to create even better standards, we’re just pushing for these standards because they are better than before? Well that seems like a great solution. Yes, something is better than nothing,

I’m waiting for politicians to start proposing nuclear waste be sent into outer space because nobody wants to dedicate time or funding to find viable, long-term waste solutions.

I hope this is a trend for the rest of the nation. Maryland’s district maps have been gerrymandered beyond recognition.

For me, it means making my own decisions and staying true to my beliefs, not necessarily voting in accordance with party lines. However, it also means registering with a party because the partisan-primary system

It’s not, which was actually something I wanted to follow up on. But taking nuclear completely out of the equation puts a strain on every other source to produce more. Judging from a map of every energy source in

In some cases, yes. In others, it really has to do with the candidates themselves. In Michigan, the lines are very clear – West Michigan is heavily conservative, around Detroit and Flint, it is very liberal with

I agree with you and I don’t blame them one bit

I dont know about the claims specifically, but often the Social Security political football is used on both sides to scare voters. A closer look at any candidate claiming such things is almost always warranted

I think if polling groups added some nuance to their abortion surveys we’d see a lot more consensus on the issue.

I don’t see why energy production needs to be zero sum. A healthy mixture of solar, nuclear, wind and hydro is a pragmatic solution

how are the two houses so disparate in the balance of power? are district lines really drawn that far out of whack?

If I was in the position of one of these member of the House, I would do the same and stay in the majority.

I agree that his moderate positions could attract the support of independents but I am afraid that his foreign policy stance, especially about Syria could deter some independents too. I feel like American people

I would rather have a mandatory ultrasound than a prohibition of abortion after 6 weeks but it is still way to much of a burden on women to put all these requirements. The US is the only developed country that is

The treatment of nuclear waste is indeed the corner stone of the opposition to nuclear. While in the short term, nuclear is by far the best solution to reduce our carbon emission, we have no idea what we are

That was the next thing I was going to look at. Isn’t it crazy that the states with the highest number of non-affiliated voters do not let them participate in the primaries. Or maybe it is the opposite, because

I think it’s interesting how four of the states listed here are New England states. Perhaps this is a burgeoning trend for the Northeast?

It seems like a real challenge for Gomez, but his moderate stance could win over more independents. Plus, it’s all about who shows up to vote in the special election. Six points is not that big of lead considering

Again a truyly Great job by our Lead Spokesperson Ray hudkins!

It appears from some of the comments that people really do not understand the political issues in Florida. We recently passed along a Great

There has yet to be any notable legal challenges to such laws. Texas has a similar law and whatever legal challenges there have been, if any, have not gone anywhere.

I was surprised by the number of independents that make up Massachusetts’ electorate. If Gomez can really get them to rally behind him, there will be an interesting turn of events. I’m not sure what the political

Will the law pass legal muster? I feel like requiring ultrasounds for an abortion is too much of a burden, creating more hoops to jump through, eventually leading to patients being past the point of viability.

I’m pretty surprised by Alaska. It’s nice to see my home-state of Rhode Island show their independent-mindedness! Their governor was the only indy governor until he recently joined the Democratic Party, he pretty

Nuclear endeavors are pretty expensive, but it can definitely pay off in the long run. My main concern is nuclear waste storage, though. Pandora’s Promise looks like a documentary I’ll be catching before it leaves theaters.

The legislators who make the laws made the decision that this should be a felony – which it is in all 50 states.
Looking at why, this is a reasonable felony, due to the risks, injuries, and damage this stuff