On August 10, the Democratic Party of New York’s 23rd U.S. House district chose attorney Bill Owens to be the Democratic nominee in the upcoming special election for that seat. Owens, 60, says he has been a registered independent since he first registered to vote at age 18, according to this news story. Actually, the 18-year vote didn’t go into effect until 1971, and Owens turned 18 in 1967, so what he probably means is that he has been a registered independent since he turned 21.