The twentynine states with registration by party, plus the District of Columbia, reported in October or November 2010 that 73.5% of all voters are registered Democrats or registered Republicans. This is the lowest percentage for the two major parties since before 1980, and probably the lowest ever. There was no such thing as registration into political parties, on voter registration forms, before the 1910’s decade. The idea that people should be asked to choose a party on a voter registration form did not arise until after the start of direct primary elections.
At the spring 2010 tallies, the two major parties had 73.8% of the registration. In October 1992, the two major parties had 80.7% of the registration. The December 1 2010 printed Ballot Access News will contain registration data by party and by state.
Official primary ballots 1888-1890 in most states to END the corruption of the EVIL party hacks watching who voted how — with resulting purges — loss of jobs, etc. — the EVIL BAD old days.
P.R. and App.V. — NO primaries are needed — with NO party hack registrations.
Western Civilization hangs by a thin thread due to the EVIL party hacks and their EVIL control freak agendas.
Those were indirect primaries, in which voters voted for delegates to party nominating conventions.
This is a window of opportunity for introducing open list PR and Approval Voting in states where the voters have high levels of disaffection with the duopoly. This is especially feasible where there exists initiative and referendum. Even STV with five-member districts would be a major improvement, but not IRV, under that name or any other of the many names it goes under.
It goes without saying that many of those who register as “members” of major parties do not do so out of allegiance to their supposed “principles”.
Pingback: Two major parties have lowest registration since before 1980 | Independent Political Report
The day will come when Independents will have 73.5% of all registration and the political parties – major and 3rd will have the rest.
@icr, in New York we have a constitutional requirement that voters be asked every twenty years whether they want a constitutional convention in a general election referendum. Further, the state legislature can call such a referendum at any time, and a movement was begun last year to do exactly that (the next required referendum is to be held in November, 2017). We have joined that movement because it would be a way to introduce proportional election concepts and alternatives. The new Governor is dangling this notion over the heads of the current legislative leadership as a way to extract concessions from them, like ethics and campaign finance reform and democratizing the legislative process itself. We don’t think this leadership is capable of making serious changes that reduce their power, so in April or May we may be able to say, “We told you so. Now let’s have a referendum”.
In Alaska the DemReps have a combined total of 41% of regstered voters, meaning 59% of Alaska voers have chosen oter options.
We will also be holding a vote (which happens every ten years) in 2012 on whether or not to have an Alaskan Constitutional Convention.
Some would like to see this as an opportunity to create counties with sheriffs, rather than the borough and state trooper system we now have.
Pingback: independentsforkerry.org » Blog Archive » Two major parties have lowest registration since before 1980