Oregon gets more Independent
Submitted by Sal Peralta on Tue, 01/22/2008 - 07:24.
There are 34,000 fewer voters on the rolls in Oregon than in 2006, according to the Secretary of State. The only political party to grow in Oregon was the Independent Party, which added more than 10,000 voters in 2007, its first year of existence.
Party Jan 2007 Nov 2007 1yr change DEMOCRATIC 766,129 753,212 - 13,200 REPUBLICAN 703,125 684,285 - 18,800 NON-AFFILIATED 438,251 431,986 - 6,200 LIBERTARIAN 15115 14,329 - 800 PAC GREENS 12086 11,221 - 800 CONSTITUTION 3194 3,000 - 200 WORKING FAMILY 1465 1,485 no change INDEPENDENT - 9,376 + 10,745 TOTAL 1,974,957 1,940,889 - 34,068
In some ways, this shift is unsurprising.
According to a Gallup poll, commissioned by USAToday, 58 percent of Americans feel that they are not well-represented by the two major parties and believe that a 3rd force is necessary. Only 30 percent of Oregonians hold a favorable impression of the state legislature -- the lowest level ever given by such a survey.
Independent Party
Independent Party Grows
Posted by The Oregonian January 22, 2008 15:10PM
Americans may have become increasingly disillusioned with politics, but one new political party in Oregon is growing at a brisk pace.
The Oregon Independent Party reported this week that it now has more than 10,000 registered voters. That's a drop in the bucket compared to the state's 753,212 registered Democrats and 684,285 registered Republicans, but still an impressive accomplishment for an organization that was first certified as a minor political party in January, 2007.
According to the state Elections Division, the Independent Party had 9,376 registered voters at the end of November, the most recent tally. But Linda Williams, a spokesman for the party, said the party has been gaining about 1,200 new members a month, which would put it over the 10,000 registered voters threshold by now. That would mean the party's membership is close to two other more established minor parties, the Libertarian Party (14,329 registered voters) and the Pacific Green Party (11,221 registered voters) and well ahead of the Constitution Party (3,000 registered voters) and the Working Family Party (1,485 registered voters).
There were also 431,986 non-affiliated registered voters in Oregon at the end of November.
Williams said that about 40 percent of the Independent Party's members are 35 or younger. She said the party was the only Oregon political party to gain members last year.
It is not unusual for political parties to lose members during non-election years. Voter registration rolls usually grow during election years such as 2008 as the parties mount registration drives.
--Edward Walsh
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