Rare Win for an Indiana Independent Candidate

On November 4, Indiana independent candidate Mark Smith was elected to the Montgomery County Council in district 3. Here is a link to the election returns. Click on the link that says, “2014 General Final Election Returns.” The results are: Mark Smith, independent, 1,229 votes; Gayle Lough, Republican, 1,183 votes.

Montgomery County is in west central Indiana. The largest town and county seat is Crawfordsville.

Independent candidates are very rare in Indiana. Indiana is one of only three states in which no independent candidate has ever appeared on the ballot for statewide office, other than president (the other two such states are North Carolina and New Mexico). Indiana greatly disadvantages independent candidates because it has a straight-ticket device. Independent candidates do not have their own straight-ticket device. Furthermore, independent candidates are put in the extreme far-right column, a column which has no logo. The party columns have a party logo.

The election was close, but not in the range in which a recount would normally be requested (the percentages work out to 51%-49%). Nevertheless, the local Republican Party has requested a recount. See this story.


Comments

Rare Win for an Indiana Independent Candidate — 1 Comment

  1. Technically speaking, isn’t it impossible for a true independent to appear on the ballot in New York for any office since you have to specify some party name? Granted, there’s nothing stopping a would-be independent candidate from petitioning on a line solely dedicated to getting them elected, and many have, but you can’t truly run as an unaffiliated independent candidate. I don’t know if this has always been the case, but it is now. Of course, most sources classify candidates such as Scott Smith for US House in District 18 as independents, but Smith really ran as a member of the “Send Mr Smith” Party which was a line he created for himself and only himself. So I suppose it depends on how you define “independent.”

    Also, some sources classify candidates of the Independent Party of Connecticut in the same category as true independents, but the latter are labeled as “petitioning candidates” on the ballot. Interestingly, New York explicitly forbids using the word “independent” in a party name, presumably to avoid confusion. Unlike most of their ballot access laws, that one actually sort of makes sense, particularly in a state that allows electoral fusion. It stops partisan candidates from creating the false impression that they are independents. I remember in 2012 in Connecticut, television ads encouraged people to “vote for Barack Obama and Linda McMahon on the Independent Line.” Obama wasn’t even on the Independent Line, and McMahon certainly wasn’t an independent either – she was a Republican. So be careful who you call an independent.

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