The plight of the political "independent"
A news story about the approaching Democratic Primary in Kentucky recently caught my eye.
Kentucky operates a “closed” primary, meaning that registered Democrats and Republicans cannot switch parties, called a “crossover.” It also means that someone registered as an “independent” cannot vote. Other states such as Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Oklahoma and Utah follow similar rules. In all, the National Association of Secretaries of States reports that 16 states use closed primaries.
Open Elections
Our popular vote is invalidated by an election system that was designed by the political parties, to maintain their control. This complicated, costly election process marginalizes citizens’ votes, rewards the party hacks, and gives undue power to political insiders. Politicians and money interests have appropriated our wishes in this archaic election procedure.
Democracy the Winner in New Hampshire
The most surprising news from the New Hampshire primary may have been how wrong the opinion-poll predictions were. Most gave Democrat Barrack Obama double-digit leads going into Tuesday’s voting. But Hillary Clinton won. Though the polls were right about the Republican contest, pundits were stunned. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews called for an inquiry on polling methodology. A colleague said that in future we should put more trust in the American people and wait for the voters to decide. Matthews said, “But then what will we do?”
