New Arizona Registration Data: Both Major Parties Decline
December 28th, 2009The November 1, 2009 Arizona registration tally shows: Republican 36.26%, Democratic 33.31%, Libertarian .80%, Green .14%, independents and others 29.49%.
Just prior to the November 2008 election, the percentages had been: Republican 37.44%, Democratic 34.22%, Libertarian .61%, Green .13%, independents and others 27.60%.
The actual numbers for the November 1, 2009 tally are: Republican 1,127,162; Democratic 1,035,576; Libertarian 24,842; Green 4,261; independents and others 916,856.
December 28th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
It’s worth noting that, except for presidential primaries, AZ independents have their choice of either the Democratic or the Republican primary.
December 29th, 2009 at 5:52 am
#1 In another few years, the independents will be letting the Democrats and Republicans vote in their Top 2 primary.
December 29th, 2009 at 6:30 am
Just as the California Republicans and the California Democrats currently let independents vote in their primaries for Congress and state office.
December 30th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
#2: Arizona forces the Democrats and Republicans to let independents vote in their primaries.
Your statement is interesting, since, under the “top two,” everyone might just as well be an independent.
If the “top two” cancer can again be stopped in California next June, it will be less likely to spread to states like Arizona.
#3: Doesn’t California’s American Independent Party also invite independents to vote in its state and congressional primaries? In presidential primaries, California independents have their choice of the Democratic or the AIP primary.
BTW: Mike Siegel (sp.?) was substitute host on tonight’s Lars Larson radio show. The topic was Nevada’s US Senate race, and Mike asked a caller if Nevada uses the “top two.” He must be from Washington state, since that’s the only state that uses the “top two” for its congressional elections (only Washington and Louisiana use the “top two” to elect all of their state officials).
December 30th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
4.Steve Rankin Says:
December 30th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
… [snip] … #3: Doesn’t California’s American Independent Party also invite independents to vote in its state and congressional primaries? In presidential primaries, California independents have their choice of the Democratic or the AIP primary. … [snip] …
Phil Sawyer responds:
Yes, the American Independent Party of California does allow indpendents to vote in its primary elections (other than for County Central Committee, I think). If the “top-two” somehow passes this coming year, I think that AIP-CA might become a party that other minor parties might try to take over. I have been thinking that this could happen to the Republican Party also. As the GOP continues to lose voter registrants in California, it will become more vulnerable to outside groups. If a minor party could take over the party machinery of AIP-CA or the Golden State’s GOP, it would no longer have ballot access problems.
December 30th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
#4 The American Independent Party only had one congressional primary in 2008 (in CD 47 in Orange County, where Robert Lauten was nominated with 398 votes).
December 30th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
It should be noted that California voters have until 15 days before the party primaries to change their registration, so there’s really no excuse for someone not voting in the party primary of his choice.
January 2nd, 2010 at 7:51 am
#7 How modern. Next thing you know, they’ll be letting practically anyone who is a citizen over 18 vote for any candidate in the primary.
January 2nd, 2010 at 5:31 pm
#8: Maybe you would prefer that parties stop nominating by primary and go back to nominating by caucus and convention. Then grassroots citizens would only be able to vote directly in the general election.
Oh I forgot: you don’t care whether parties perform their basic function of nominating candidates or not. You would just as soon parties disappear, and all elections be big free-for-alls– which is what your cherished “top two” amounts to.
January 2nd, 2010 at 7:03 pm
Free For All.
All should be free to vote for whom they wish.
January 2nd, 2010 at 7:14 pm
Yes, free to have only two choices in the final, deciding election, both of whom may be from the same party.
Those Louisiana “free-for-alls” have resulted in such final choices for governor as Edwin Edwards (now in federal prison) versus David Duke (ex-Ku Klux Klan leader who also went to prison)… and Mike Foster (a white conservative Republican who had just recently switched from being a lifelong Democrat) versus Cleo Fields (a black liberal Democrat).
Free to hold one’s nose and vote for the “lesser of two evils”…
January 3rd, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Wasn’t Bobby Jindal elected in the Open Primary?
And weren’t Duke Cunningham and Tom Metzger nominated in the partisan primary system?