More independent candidates for the legislature have been getting elected during the last decade, compared to previous years. In every even-numbered general election, more than ten independent candidates have been elected in 2022, 2020, 2018, 2016, and 2014. But there are no years in which more than ten independents got elected to state legislatures at any time 1975-2010.
The highest number of independent winners since World War II was in 2012, when 17 were elected.
The number of winners in other recent years has been: 2022, thirteen (at least); 2020, fifteen; 2018, thirteen; 2016, twelve; and 2014, fifteen.
The main cause is probably the growing movement to eliminate straight-ticket devices. Fifteen states have repealed them 1965-2020. Only six still have the device: Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. Another cause is the switch from party-column ballot format to office-block format. Only five states still don’t use office-block: Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and New York.
Could you define what Office Block is in this case?
It would be interesting to know how many independent candidates won in two-way races because one or the other major parties didn’t nominate a candidate.
An office-block ballot puts a clear list of candidates for any particular office, under the heading for that office. The voter moves on down the ballot from office to office. So the voter tends to notice the name of each candidate before voting.
With party-column ballots, the voter’s eye might not even look at the non-major-party columns. Party-column ballots have almost always in the past listed the two major parties in the left-most columns. Office-block states are far more likely to have a neutral rule for order of candidates. New Hampshire is a strange exception, though, and the order of party columns is determined by a random process, so the column for independent candidates might be left-most column.
@Peter Office Block presents each office up for election consecutively, usually in vertical columns.
Example here: https://ballotpedia.org/Oklahoma_official_sample_ballots,_2022
Even though five southern states have straight-party voting, the party-column ballot still used in the Northeast seems to have an even stronger suggestive effect on voters. By putting all the candidates of the same party on a line, the ballot seems to say that party alignment is a good thing, when it is actually a major cause of disenfranchisement.
Thanks for explaining!
Something I find interesting about NJ is that, at least for a time, mail-in ballots were organized by office-block. I was a mail-in voter from 2006 to 2012 or so, and for the first few elections at least I pretty clearly remember the ballot being organized by office, without any party columns. It made for a smaller and easier to handle ballot as well.
Hmmmm
In New Jersey, every county election office has authority to design the ballot any way it wishes. Three counties have consistently chosen to use office-block for all ballots. Maybe Peter lived in one of those counties? Or maybe some counties use one format for postal ballots but another for polling place ballots.
The best way to improve ballot design is to eliminate all demon rats and leftist scum, and that includes those rhinos and lyinos masqueraded as Libertarians or Republicans.
@Tom… ahh yes, a one-party state like all freedom loving people want… Pretty sure North Korea has that. This is why nobody takes Trump nut jobs seriously. At least you aren’t shy about your intentions of near totalitarianism; it makes it obvious that you’re a nut case.
Take the political compass and post your results:
Politicalcompass.org
Economic Left/Right: 2.13
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 1.64
Aiden wants a one party communist state. He’s a retard.
Why was my comment censored? I said that I favor a multiparty system with parties like GOP, Libertarian, Constitution and American Freedom. Also that the so called political compass is garbage and that I score right-libertarian on the libertarian diamond quiz, which is also how I see my views being. I said a lot more than that and it was all said without cussing or references to anything gross so why was my comment removed?
How many regimes with office blocs AND straight party logos ???
Mich is one.
Appreciate the ad hominem, but actually I’m an anarcho-capitalist so I would favor no parties and no state. But I’m also realistic and know that won’t happen, so I favor a multi-party state using single transferable and additional member proportional representation. I want a state with at least 8 parties of varying ideologies with ideally none having an absolute majority on their own. See Germany or Sweden for an example.
BTW, I would favor the FDP party if I were German, and the Centre Party (a liberal party – the extreme right edge of the US Democratic Party effectively) or the Liberal Party (a conservative liberal and classical liberal party) if I were Swedish.
PS My political compass:
Economic: 4.5
Social: -8.3
https://politicalcompass.org/crowdchart2?spots=4.5%7C-8.3%7CAiden%20
I win!
Economic Left/Right: 5.0
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: 5.49
@Disco Stick…. If that’s really where you fall, I would label you as a social democrat; basically mainline Democratic Party.
@Mr. LIBERTARIAN… That’s more or less a Christian Nationalist or Christian Democrat. Maybe a paleo-conservative. Effectively the Constitution Party, and the Trump wing of the Republican Party, maybe getting into the American Solidarity Party.
Trump! Trump! Trump!
Drain the swamp! Finish the wall! Lock leftists up! Lock them ALL up! Deport the invaders and their half breed offspring! Kick the anchor babies over the wall !!
Save America Now
stop the steal
Make Trump President Again!!