Unaffiliated voters is a term in United States electorial politics used to describe persons who register to vote, but wish to remain without a party affiliation. Other terms for this include Independent and Undeclared. In the US, 29 states register voters by party affiliation as does the District of Columbia. There are various reasons for persons chosing to remain unaffiliated. The most common reasons are: 1.) disenfranchisement with the two major parties (Democratic and Republican) 2.) to allow more freedom to vote the person, not the party. 3.) members of 3rd parties which do not have a lising on voter registration cards. While affiliation among the Democratic Party declined 8% from 1988 to 2004 and affiliation among the Republican Party declined 2%, unaffiliated voters increased 9%, from 16% of the electorate to 25% of the electorate.[[1] (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7329-2004Jun26.html)] ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Political pundits have associated this increase with the increase of divisive, uncomprimising factions among the two major parties. Unaffiliated voter vary in degree of political involvement. Some are active in social movements, while others simply vote. An unaffiliated voter often receives campaign mail from both candidates running for the same office. An unaffilated voter would face much difficulty in running for public office. However, with many municipal and local offices increasingly becoming non-partisan seats, independents have run for and won a seat in local government. Also of note, Dwight D. Eisenhower was an unaffilliated voter for most of his life, prior to running for the presidency. Order: 34th President Vice President: Richard Nixon Term of office: January 20, 1953 – January 20, 1961 Preceded by: Harry S. Truman Succeeded by: John F. Kennedy Date of birth: October 14, 1890 Place of birth: Denison, Texas Date of death: March 28, 1969 Place of death: Washington, D.C. First...
During a partisan primary election, an unaffiliatedvoter may vote only if a party authorizes unaffiliatedvoters to vote in their primary.
If all parties authorize unaffiliatedvoters to vote, the voter must choose which party ballot he wishes to vote on the day of the Primary.
If a registered voter in Forsyth County has moved within Forsyth County more than thirty days prior to an election and failed to notify the Board of Elections, it is a violation of the law to vote in his/her old precinct.
In the presidential face-off between Bush and Gore, unaffiliatedvoters were evenly split: 46 percent prefer Bush and 45 percent prefer Gore.
Unaffiliatedvoters, who are less anchored by political parties, can often dramatically change positions based on their assessments of candidates, campaign advertising and issues.
Unaffiliatedvoters tend to be political moderates; the largest percentage claim to be in the middle of an ideological spectrum that ranges from very conservative to very liberal (47% of unaffiliatedvoters say they are in the middle).