A call for independents to vote
Published on
In a column in the Arizona Daily Star, commissioner Mark Kimble, member of the Citizens Clean Elections Commission and registered independent voter, says there is an increasing number of voters choosing neither the Democratic nor Republican party, but instead defining themselves as “party not designated.”
In Arizona, based on current data, there are 1.2 million of us who are Independents, Kimble says, compared with 1.3 million Republicans and 1.1 million Democrats, yet in the 2016 Primary Election, fewer than 1 in 10 Arizona Independents voted.
"A recent study — 'Arizona’s Voter Crisis' by Morrison Institute at Arizona State University — sounded an alarm on voter participation in our state, pointing out that Arizona ranks 43rd in the nation when it comes to voter turnout.
"The poignant conclusion: 'Voters don’t determine elections, nonvoters do,'" Kimble reiterated from the report.
"Independents are a growing community," Kimble concludes. "We have made it a point to register as 'party not designated,' now we must make it a point to participate."
READ: Mark Kimble: Independents need to make their voices heard