The Arizona Secretary of State posts new registration data every three months. The October 1, 2009 tally has just been released. It shows Republicans with 36.33%, Democrats with 33.39%, independents and unqualified parties 29.37%, Libertarians .77%, Greens .14%.
Three months ago, the percentages were: Republican 36.58%, Democratic 33.67%, independents and unqualified parties 28.93%, Libertarians .69%, Green .14%.
The Libertarian percentage is now the highest it has been for that party since 1998 in Arizona. The independent percentage is the highest in Arizona history.
Check out the 11-2008 numbers vs. today. The GOP got only 10.8% of new voter registrations. The Libertarian Party got 4.5% of new voter registrations.
In 2007, a federal court exempted Arizona’s Libertarians from the state law that forces parties to let independents vote in primaries for offices other than president.
The state’s Democrats and Republicans continue to timidly submit to the state mandate, probably because they’re afraid Sen. McCain would blast them if they filed suit against the law.
The Libertarians (and some other 3rd parties) apparently will never learn. Perhaps this is why they call them “Losertarians?”
The “Independent” political label – whether favored by a “no party” voter or by a “3rd party” organization – is the magic name that will put an end to dominance by both the Democratic and Republican parties.
Hopefully, one day 3rd parties – including the Libertarians – will “wake up and smell the coffee!”
There have been independents practically from the founding of the United States. The history has been that one of the two major parties must cease to exist, then another party moves in to fill the vacuum that has been created.
Steve Rankin is correct that one of the major parties has to cease to exist first. But whatever group of voters or party that uses the name “Independent” in its name will most likely be the one that replaces that major party.
But even if I am wrong, I’m still an “Independent” and all that implies.