A Declaration for Independents

What group constitutes the largest voting bloc in the U. S.? Would you be surprised to find that it is neither the Democrats or Republicans? It is, instead, a group of voters who have chosen to regard themselves as independent of either of the so-called major parties, or some 40% of the electorate.

And how have these voters been rewarded? In Kentucky, they are disenfranchised. Kentucky has a closed primary law. In other words, if you want to have a voice as to which candidate will be on the ballot in the General Election, you have to declare allegiance to either the Republicans or Democrats.

But what is it that requires the state to be so beholden to just two political parties? Nothing, really. The state constitution, like the U. S. Constitution, does not mention either one by name.

What have the two major parties achieved by excluding Independents? Well, they greatly diminish the amount of people they must contact in the primaries and this makes for an easier time of it for each party’s candidates in the spring.

But they are, arguably, also responsible for low voter turnout. After all, Independent voters aren’t allowed to vote in the spring, and this decreases by a lot, the number of voters in the primaries. And if they have no say as to who will be on the ballot in November, it could also be reasoned, these Independent Voters aren’t likely to go out of their way to cast a vote in the fall.

What is being done to correct this situation? This year, a bill was introduced in the State Senate (SB53) that would amend KRS 116.055 by allowing the independent voter to choose a party’s primary in which to vote on Election Day. This bill passed the Senate, mainly along party lines, by a vote of 25-12. The bill was favored largely by the Republican majority.

What do the Republicans suddenly realize/? Perhaps they realize that they could
reap the benefits of allowing the Independent voter to participate in every facet of the election process. If an Independent voter chooses to vote in one of the two party’s primary, perhaps that voter will be more likely to vote for the party’s nominee come November.

What is likely to be the fate of this effort? Sadly, it is likely to come to naught in the State House. There, the Democrats have the majority, and it is doubtful that it will even be reported out of committee.

This is sad, really, because, if these two entrenched political powers are finally forced to recognized the Independent voter in both the primary and general election, perhaps they could finally realize that it might be more important to act on the behalf of the voters of this country rather that the political party to which the office holders belong.
For my part, I would like to see a situation wherein the voters are required to do no more than prove they are eligible to vote in the district where they live when they register. Why should the state do work for the Democrats and Republicans? If the party leaders want to know which one the majority of the voters prefer, let them work on passing laws that will benefit every voter.