Today we hosted our second tweet chat, this time inviting independent-minded candidates and voters. Nine independent-minded candidates participated: Phil Dodds, Jack Todd Arnold, Maurice Duhon, Linda Parks, Chad Condit, Anthony Adams, Eric Reyes, William "Cleave" Drummond, TJ O'Hara.
This was a unique opportunity for an open discussion among independents from across the country. Topics included: legalizing marijuana, the Occupy Movement, innovation in campaigning tactics, the rise of independent candidates and voters, overcoming hyper-partisanship, and individual reasons for rejecting the two party duopoly. Over the course of an hour, independents had an open forum to discuss their views, opinions, and frustration with partisan politics.
Here are some of the highlights from today's chat:
The first question came from John Spicer, a political enthusiast living in Wilmington, North Carolina.
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Responses varied among the candidates:
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terpman92#indyvoteMay 29, 2012
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Linda Parks, an independent running for Congress in California's 26th district shared with us some of the challenges she faces running without the backing of a party establishment.
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politikellyMay 29, 2012
Jack Todd Arnold, an independent candidate running for Congress in Tenesse's 7th district shared with us some of the tactics he's using to compete with incumbents and Super PAC money:
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LindaParks#indyvoteMay 29, 2012
When asked how the candidates will reach out to the youth and convince voters that their vote counts, the candidates answered:
IVNetwork#indyvoteMay 29, 2012
VoteAnthony#indyvoteMay 29, 2012
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#IndyvoteMay 29, 2012
IVNetwork#indyvoteMay 29, 2012
We want to thank everyone who participated. The high level of engagement we saw from candidates and voters speaks to the increasing support of independent-minded politicians. In case you missed today's chat, we plan to continue the dialogue throughout this election season and hope to hear from our readers.