The Independent Voter

Thom Reilly, Jacqueline S. Salit, Omar H. Ali

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781032147345
• eBook ISBN: 9781000655445
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: American Government
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Independent voters—the 40–50 percent of Americans who reject identification with either of the two major parties or with any party—are increasing in number and impact. Independents are determining the outcome of major elections, upending the long-held categories of political science. Drawing on historical and contemporary data (including survey data, participant observation, interviews, and current writings and scholarship) and providing timely new analysis, the authors argue that independents are an engine for a transformation of US democracy, perhaps even its saviors. Rather than "leaning" to a party or an ideology, independents vary on issues but share a deep distrust of the partisan system. What are the consequences of this distrust? What about shifting trends among Black, Latino, and Asian communities regarding party loyalty? What of young voters who eschew party identification wanting a different kind of political culture? For a wide variety of audiences, this book gives students, scholars, campaign professionals, activists, and media analysts an insight into current voting dynamics and future possibilities.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Endorsement
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• About the Authors
• Preface
• Foreword
• Introduction
• 1 Who Is the Independent Voter?
• 2 Independents in American History
• 3 Independent Voters or Shadow Partisans?
• 4 Independents and Their Uses of Power
• 5 Can Independents Be Key to Bridging the Political Divide?
• 6 Free the Voters: The Legal Barriers and Biases Against Independents
• 7 Independents Speak: “We’re Not a Party. We’re a Mindset”
• 8 What Binds Independents Together?
• 9 Democracy’s Dilemma
• 10 Developing Democracy
• Afterword
• Timeline
• Bibliography
• Index