Letter to the Editor: Voters are beyond red versus blue

Pew Research Center released a survey over the summer which was encouragingly called "Beyond Red vs. Blue."  Encouraging, that is, for the growing number of Americans – many of them young people – who are independent and eager to find a way out of the partisan mess which has come to dominate our political process.

"Age also is a factor in partisanship and political values." wrote Pew.  "Younger people are more numerous on the left, and older people on the right. However, many young people think of themselves as independents rather than as Democrats."

The fifth study of its kind conducted by Pew since 1987, the survey aims to give a broad overview of the character of electorate and sorts Americans into eight cohesive groups based on values, political beliefs, and party affiliation. 

Three of the eight classifications that emerged from this year's study were dedicated to independent voters—up from 2 classifications in the 2005 survey.  More importantly, the presence of independents was evident across all five of the remaining classifications including those meant to define Democratic and Republican voters.  In those groups, independents comprised 15% - 34% of their total makeup.  Independents are everywhere it seems. 

Pew acknowledged this in their report stating, "In recent years, the public has become increasingly averse to partisan labels… There has been a sharp rise in the percentage of independents—from 30% in 2005 to 37% currently."

The survey also encouragingly pointed out that—contrary to much theorizing that independents comprise "the center" of American political life—they remain a diverse lot with strong opinions. "The growing rejection of partisan identification does not imply a trend toward political moderation, however. In fact, the number of people describing their political ideology as moderate has, if anything, been dropping," wrote Pew.

Pew's findings amplify our own, discovered not through polling, but through the activity of organizing independents over the course of two decades.  Independents are not in the middle between Democrats and Republicans.  Rather, they want to move beyond the confines of parties altogether. 

Around the time the Pew survey was released, independents in 40 states launched a pressure campaign for Congressional hearings on the second class status of independents.  They set up booths at state fairs and tables on sidewalks, visited college campuses and invited neighbors to house parties. They began collecting thousands of signatures on letters and postcards to Congressional leaders, pushing for hearings to examine the ways partisanship has become so hardwired into the political process independents -- and by extension the American people -- can't be heard.  Independent voter activists like Kevin Soubly, founder of Hope College Independents, joined in. 

On WDET radio last week he told host Craig Fahle, "The party system was setup for a reason, but it's not working right now. It's limiting us. I don't think the party system is really created to adapt and address issues on a changing basis." His sentiments were echoed by Bryan Puertas, a 26 year old independent from Queens, NY who has been circulating postcards at the Occupy Wall Street encampment. Hundreds of young people have signed. His message is simple.  "We can't take back Wall Street without taking back our government from the parties."

Of course, given that those who are in a position to enact reform are the same people caught up in the partisan mess, independents will have to mount a pressure campaign of movement-sized proportions in order to be heard.  Pew's next survey in 2016 will tell us something about how well we did. It might be titled "A New Era of Independence."

Sarah Lyons

Director of Communications for IndependentVoting.org