19% NC Voters Are Unaffiliated

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

November 2004 North Carolina Registration Statistics By Party



http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/voterreg/voterstat.htm

Seems like the Democratic Party needs to invite some of the Unaffiliateds
to the party.

[wildeyed]

1. I did a lot of voter registration in 04,

talked to many unaffiliateds. The neighborhoods I was in, most were very anti-bush, but had little idea what the parties stood for, and felt that neither party really stood for them, or spoke a language that they could understand. I do believe that talking to me, an actual person with enthusiasm for democracy, really helped. I was technically non-partisan, but I could explain the parties, how the system worked, and why it is important to participate in democracy.

This person to person, neighbor to neighbor contact is the way to pull the unaffiliateds and non-participating dems back into the process. That and maybe having a party that represents the people instead of the special interests.

[GreenInNC]

2. unaffiliated's are second party

There are counties in NC where U's outnumber the D's and R's. In 3-4 counties in the east there are more U's than R's and in the western part of the state, U's outnumber D's in a couple of counties.

[musical_soul]

3. Main thing is to get them to vote for our party.

[dad]

4. -----

I sent in my voter registration card marked Green and it came back as unaffiliated. Apparently the Green party doesn't exist in NC - but I wanted to be registered as one anyhow.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

5. NO third parties are certified parties now

NC has one of the toughest ballot access laws in the country.
The Libertarian party was decertified early this year.
I don't know about the green party.

Parties have to come up with 100,000 signatures to be a certified party.

Then they may have to keep doing these signature drives every so many years,
at great expense.

Most states only require about 10,000 signatures.

We need people to make up their mind and join a party.
This is how you get organized and build momentum and clout.

People who didn't like the direction the party was going are
working hard to turn it around. The progressives have
been doing a pretty good job.

There are more folks refusing to accept the apologies from the
Hawk Dems who "didn't know that we were being lied to about the
WMDs of Iraq".

If I don't like how an organization is doing, I try to change it if I
can. Quitting is not for me.

I would like to see third parties get back on the ballot, so there
will be debate.

However, I feel that the local dems are very good, and we have
some better choices for US congress.

I don't want Jeb Bush elected in 08.

[GreenInNC]

6. There is a Green Party in NC

http://www.ncgreenparty.org/

There is a Green Party but it does not have ballot access.

[phioth]

7. unaffiliated in NC

My personal views tend to be labeled "conservative". However, I'm not egotistical enough to feel that my way of doing things should be imputed onto everyone else, so externally I get labeled "liberal" This puts me in a bind year after year. The Repulicans are going in the wrong direction, but the Democrats don't seem to be going in the right direction. I don't have the opportunity to discuss party politics with people and came here to sample the thoughts of folks out there.

[Richard Steele]

8. Welcome to DU, phioth!

I suspect your self-description could be applied
to a lot of people in the USA today,
especially the "not egotistical enough to feel
that my way of doing things should be imputed onto everyone else".

But it seems that "live and let live" is a notion
completely foreign to the small vocal minority
that currently controls the GOP, and a lot of sane 'conservatives'
are left out in the cold.

I'm registered 'unaffiliated' myself, btw...even though I'm
a proud "looney left" liberal-type.

[Thickasabrick]

9. I thought unaffiliated were people that wanted to be able to vote

in both primaries....at least that's what this republican told me as the reason she registered as unaffiliated.

[phioth]

10. reason for unaffiliated

I registered as unaffiliated because I'm not affiliated with any party. It seemed silly to me, to claim a party when I wasn't active in either party. Neither party aligns with me very well on a number of issues.

My problem is that I don't see many issues as "black or white/yes or no". For example, the Democrats embrace “pro-choice”, the Republicans embrace “pro-life”. By definition, I would find my self in the “pro-choice” camp because I don’t feel that the practice is totally without merit. However, I tend to agree with the “pro-life” platform because I don’t believe it should be a form of birth control.

I suppose if I were writing the law I would outlaw it in all cases other than medical necessity or rape.

As far as voting I may be wrong, but I thought that the Republicans have open primaries (any voter can vote) and the Democrats had closed primaries (only Democrats can vote). I'm not certain.


Phioth