Do Independent Voters Matter?

It has oft been stated that the Independent voter is the one who is to ultimately decide who our next president will be. Democrats and Republicans increasingly vie for the independent vote, now having to appeal both to their party's followers and to some ambiguous mass, collectively headlined the independent voter.

But as candidates from the big two continue to court independent votes, the independence of these independents is being usurped. Registering as an independent is supposed to be an indictment on the big two parties, it is the culmination of years of disenchantment with the partisan news speak disseminating from both directions, well, sort of.

The system itself works against the independence of independents. Twenty-six primaries are considered closed. In closed primaries participants must register as a Democrat or Republican and are then are bound to vote for one of that party's nominees. These primaries exclude independent voters altogether.

Florida, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts are among the states that close their primaries to Independents.

Most of the remaining primaries are considered open. These allow participant to vote for any candidate, regardless of who they are registered with. Open primaries allow Independents to vote, but exclude Independent candidates from getting their names on the ballot. In other words, Independent voters are welcomed, provided they vote for a Democrat or Republican.

For example, when New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg dropped his party affiliation, it was widely anticipated that he was planning a run for the oval office. Bloomberg denies the speculation, but if he were to run, his independent status would exclude him from many primaries, including New Hampshire.

Independent candidates are also excluded from debates. It becomes difficult for an Independent candidate to enter into the same sentence with sustainability if they are not allowed to be heard. This is one of the reasons Ron Paul cites when explaining his reluctance to run as an Independent.

Touting the importance of the independent vote is one thing, but allowing those voters to assert their independence is quite another. Until the system becomes more accommodating to the Independent voter, it appears their importance will continue to be linked solely to an ability to get other mainstream candidates elected.

And as warm and fuzzy as it makes everyone feel to proclaim the importance of the Independent, until they are given the independence to vote for who the y see fit, their true importance is cursory at best.