VA, Virginia Independent Voters Association (VIVA)
WA, Washington Association of Independent Voters (WAIV)
WI, Wisconsin Group for an Independent Voice (WiGiv)
National Conference Call for Independents. Every six weeks, CUIP president Jacqueline Salit hosts America's largest ongoing national call for independents. She provides updates about what independents are doing around the country and how the movement is growing. Get connected, hear updates.
Next call:
Wednesday, February 8
8pm ET, 7pm CT, 6pm MT, 5pm PT
The Arizona Open Elections Open Government Coalition launched a petition drive to gather 256,00 signatures to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would abolish party primaries (similar to what Top Two has done in California). Listen here to Coalition leader (and former state representative) Ted Downing talk about the campaign and why we need to change the election system on The Buckmeister radio show. and read the Huffington Post piece "Will Open Primaries Shake Up Politics in Arizona". Contact Ted to get involved.
North Carolina Independents are holding a series of forums, including the recent one at UNC-Greensboro. Dr. Omar Ali (Assoc. Prof of African American & Diaspora Studies & History, UNC-Greensboro) and Donna Moser authored an op ed Declaration of Independents. Ali was quoted in a Guilford College Newspaper, Politics Are Not Red or Blue and has been a regular on CBS News (here he discusses the disconnect between Americans having the right to vote and voters not excercising that right). North Carolina Independents which represents the 1.5 million unaffiliated voters is involved in a variety of activities to call for hearings on the biases of independents and to increase to the registration (and voice) of unaffiliated voters in NC. If you'd like to get involved, email NCI at NC.Independents@gmail.com or check out their website
NEW HAMPSHIRE
The Concord Monitor printed a letter from the newly-formed New Hampshire Independent Voters to Governor John Lynch urging him to veto Senate Bill 129. This bill, similar to bills that have recently passed in a number of states, would require all voters to present government-issued photo identification in order to vote. The letter was written by Sue Erickson (Concord)and signed by Committee members Bill Nichols (Grantham) and Pat Spaulding (Rye). You can read the letter in full here
SOUTH CAROLINA
52 South Carolina Independents signed on to a letter to the editor supporting efforts by a coalition of forces including Independentvoting.org, South Carolina Independence Party (led by Wayne Griffin, left with CUIP attorney Harry Kresky) and 13 local elected officials to keep the primaries open. The coalition intervened on the Republican Party's attempt to have the primaries closed and Judge Michelle Childs ruled in favor of keeping the primaries open. Congratulations to all!
KENTUCKY
Independent Kentucky continues the fight for open primaries and political reform. Contact independentky@gmail.com. or you can find Independent Kentucky here to follow Independent Kentucky's ongoing fight to pass open primary legislation.
Check out a statewide meeting (broadcast on UStream) which reports on IK's 10 operation at the State fair where they collected over 2,200 signatures in support of Open Primaries and 300 postcards calling for hearings on the second class status of independents and about meetings IK Chair Michael Lewis and William Bowe did with Sen. Rand Paul and with Congressman John Yarmuth.
NEVADA
Catana Barnes, of Reno has founded Independent Voters of Nevada (IVON) and begun a statewide petitioning drive in support of Open Primaries. Nevada is a closed primary state. Barnes is currently calling independents across the state and polling them. The open primary petition can be downloaded here or sign the petition online here
Virginia Independent Voters Association (VIVA), Led by Gregory Moohn (seen left), Steve Richardson and Julia Pfaff in the North and Len Coley in Hampton, VIVA can be reached via their facebook page or by emailing Virginiaindependents@gmail.com. Here's a report by the Northern Virginia crew on their visit to Capitol Hill to meet with Congress and their staff and ask them to hold hearings.
FLORIDA
Click here to read Florida Sunshine Independents' (FSI)Linda Ricke's recent op ed editorial "An Independent View of the Budget Debate" at Tampabayonline.com. Linda, Tallahassee, wrote the editorial off of her TV appearance on Fox and Friends.
In South Florida, Monica Betts of Homestead organized a DVD showing of "Can Independents Reform America?" at the Villa Biscayne Community Center and 25 people showed up. Said Monica, "I conducted a workshop to educate voters on the Open Primary Campaign. You do not have to be an independent voter to support our civil rights to vote in Open Primaries! Here in Florida, we're sending postcards and letters to Congress to support the open primary cause." Monica is on to organizing her next meeting and expanding Florida Independents (FI) throughout South Florida.
If you're in Florida, you can support the campaign for open primaries by downloading the petition and open primaries flyer or sign the petition online, click here.
And if you're in South Florida, email Monica Betts and Florida Independents (FI) at Laruejazz@gmail.com
OHIO
Ohio Independents for An Effective Government has launched a petition calling for the enactment of a non-partisan open primary system. The petition says "Under Nonpartisan Open Primaries, voters will no longer be labeled as
party members simply because they voted in a primary election, or be
forced to sign a loyalty oath if they want to change which party primary
they vote in." Sign the petition online or download the petition here or on the group's new blog. For more information, contact Ohioindependents@gmail.com
MASSACHUSETTS
At the urging of the Massachusetts Coalition of Independent Voters (MCOIV), Massachusetts State Treasurer and Independent candidate for Governor, Tim Cahill sent a letter to President Obama asking tha one or more independents be appointed to the Federal Election Commission to fill two currently vacant seats. Read the join press release issued MCOIV and IndependentVoting.org's here. MCOIV activists are now hitting the streets regularly with a petition to change the MA voter regisration designation form for those who don't wish to affiliate with a party from "Unenrolled" to "Independent." For more info contact eebbdoc1@aol.com
COLORADO
Newly independent elected officials go to work for political reform. Joelle Riddle (top left), a County Commissioner in La Plata, Colorado, decided that she could serve her constituents most effectively as an independent. So the former Democrat changed her registration - only to find she couldn't run again as an independent because state law requires that would-be candidates who re-register must have done so 18 months in advance of the election. Riddle filed a lawsuit challenging the law; she also turned to State Representative Kathleen Curry (bottom left), then Speaker Pro Tem of the House, asking her to sponsor legislation that would level the playing field. Curry re-registered as an indy too! Read the joint amicus brief filed by CUIP and Riddle in support of State Curry’s appeal which seeks relief from discriminatory deadlines imposed on
independent candidates (along with the press release announcing it) and an article about Riddle's efforts in the Durango Herald. Independent Voters for Colorado, the new organization founded by Riddle, has now launched a petition drive calling for non-partisan open primaries (Top Two). Check out IVC's new website and sign the petition here.
GEORGIA
After endorsing Atlanta's newly eleced mayor, Kasim Reed, Georgia Independent Voters (GIV) interviewed gubernatorial candidates to find out where they stood on issues of concern to independent voters. GIV activists have recently been polling with independent voters on Atlanta streets. For more information or to participate, go to GIV's website or email contact@georgiaindependentvoters.org
ALABAMA
Independents enlist the speaker pro tem of AL House of Representatives in the campaign for an independent on the FEC. At the request of Bob Friedman (on right), the founder and chair of the Alabama Independent Movement (AIM), Representative Demetrius Newton (center), the speaker pro tem of the Alabama House of Representatives, sent a letter to President Obama in which he wrote: "I believe that the time has come to appoint one or more independents to the Federal Election Commission. I hope that you will do so."
IDAHO
Idaho Independents Fight to Keep Primaries Open. Mitch Campbell, founder of the American Independent Movement of Idaho, is the initiator of a legal action on behalf of independent voters in his state whose ability to vote in open primaries has been threatened by a Republican Party lawsuit seeking to force the state of Idaho to close its primaries and institute partisan voter registration. While the Judge ruled against independents in the first round, AIM and Independentvoting.org have appealed the case and a campaign to raise funds and to reach out to Idaho independents for phase 2 is underway. Read more
PENNSYLVANIA
Independent Pennslyvanians. Rep. Eugene DePasquale's [D-York] has introduced a political reform package for the 2011 legislative session which includes a top-two open primary legislation. Independent Pennsylvania has met w/ RE. DePasquale and continues to hit the pavements and gather thousands of signatures on a petition. For more information on Independent Pennsylvania go to Independent Pennsylvania and sign the open primaries petition.
UTAH
More than half of Utah voters (51.5%) consider themselves independent. To give voice to their concerns, the Utah League of Independent Voters (ULIV) have set up a website and participated in a redistricting initiative sponsored by Fair Boundaries. Randy Miller, who leads the group is currently running for county surveyor.
SOUTH DAKOTA
In open primaries fight, one down and one to go. Kim Wright, the founder and chair of South Dakota Voice of Independents, has been working tirelessly for open primaries in a state where the legislature leaves it up to the parties to decide whether to welcome independents or keep them out. In October of last year, the Democratic Party voted to open its primaries to independents beginning in 2011. In "Finally, a seat at the table" in the Rapid City Journal, Wright called upon the Republican Party to follow suit, but the GOP let the 12/31 deadline pass without changing its closed-door policy. Read Wright's letter to the editor in the Rapid City Journal. Read more
On Independentvoting.org's October 12 conference call, Jackie Salit urged participants to "Write to President Obama"
110 people wrote letters in the week leading to the Midterm elections. Read the letters here. You can still write your letter today! Find out what Salit said and where to send your letter here
The national Coffee Party held its first convention in Louisville, Kentucky the weekend of September 24-26 entitled Restoring American Democracy and Independentvoting.org was invited to be a sponsor of the event by Coffee Party founder Annabel Park. Michael Lewis of Independent Kentucky and Gwen Mandell, national coordinator of Independentvoting.org conducted a workshop on “The Rise of Independent Voter.”Read More
Independents at Claim Democracy Conference. Harry Kresky (pictured on right with US Term Limits and Initiative & Referendum champion Paul Jacob) led a workshop on the subject of fusion-voting and the Independence Party experience in NY at a conference on political reform sponsored by FairVote and 60 other organizations. Read more.
Oregon Open Primary Initiative Relaunches for 2008. Opening up partisan primaries to independent voters is a litmus test issue on the political reform front and now Phil Keisling, a former Oregon Secretary of State, is planning an effort to put an open primary initiative on the ballot in November 2008. Read more.
2007 National Conference of Independents. Hosted by CUIP political director Jackie Salit, 500 independents from 31 states gathered in New York City for a day long event featuring an in-depth look at how independents can increase visibility and influence in the political process.
