The difference between Independents and other politicians
Lacking the numbers to vote as a group, Independents align with a party.
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Jerrie South-DeRose
(Curated by Evan Morgan)
Most Americans are confused about the role of Independents in the political process once they are elected. Independents lack the numbers to vote as a concentrated group so most voters don't believe voting for an Independent would make any difference in the end. Independent candidates who do get elected to public office caucus with the two primary political parties. Independent Bernie Sanders caucuses with Democrats and moderate Independent Angus King caucuses with Republicans. Independents do not always vote on the side of the party they caucus with and sometimes reach across the isle hoping for a compromise. Other political figures, once they lose an election, may become Independent in an attempt to get back into public office without telling voters that in all actuality they are still partisan.
Most Independent candidates dislike Conservative and Liberal ideologies
Independent candidates, many of whom have more moderate views, are disgusted by the partisan war between the far left and the far right as to which party is more in tune with voters. Political Moderates are typically more open-minded and much more likely to compromise. Independents, for the most part, try to avoid partisan stances on most issues, and believe that common sense governance is long overdue, while millions of Americans are tired of the extremism of both established parties. Americans who say they are Independent focus on candidates they believe best represent them and the issues of "all Americans." They believe Liberal Democratic and Conservative Republican ideologies have created huge divisions within society.
The American Independent Party is not representative of Independent voters and candidates
Oddly enough, when The American Independent Party was first established in Bakersfield, CA in 1967, the party's Manifesto read more like that of Conservative Republicans and included limited government, the rights of states to govern themselves with little federal interference, and the preservation of national sovereignty. Sadly, most voters who consider themselves Independents do not realize that the American Independent Party is not truly moderate or independent.
The Republican party and the Religious Right increasingly incorporated the Independent Party Manifesto into their extreme right wing ideologies. The Independent Party ideology says that being independent means "freed from the lawless oppression of Liberal rule," yet there is absolutely nothing about being freed from conservative or religious rule. Like Conservative Republican ideology, the American Independent Party is strictly pro-life, and believes marriage should only be between a man and a woman.
What is more disturbing is that the party platform stands on the premise that the Republic established by our Constitution is the greatest of all pro-life institutions.
Many state voting laws force voters to declare themselves Democrats or Republicans in elections
One thing that has come to anger voters -- especially voters under the age of forty -- is that many state laws require voters to register as either a Democrat or Republican in order to vote in local, state, and federal elections. The only time most Independent voters can vote for either party is on the presidential ticket. A large number of states also only allow voters who declare themselves Democrats or Republicans to vote in caucuses and primaries. The growing anger of Millennials, Moderates from both parties, Independents and some Republicans was apparent in 2016, when Independent candidate Bernie Sanders was snubbed by the Democratic Party, insulted, and made the butt of jokes by Conservative Republicans. That anger has not abated.