12/13/2020 - An Independent Voice

 

12/13/2020 - An Independent Voice

For far too long, a truly nonpartisan voice has found itself cast aside from the increasingly polarized politics of today. We've found ourselves separated, pressured to 'pick a side' in how we cast our vote, in whom we follow, and what ideals we align ourselves with.

This bears the question, what truly is an independent? Is it simply someone who finds themselves in dissonance with that of two opposing parties, or is it those who feel they can make informed decisions without placing a label unto themselves? From our personal experience the definition of an independent is one who chooses to listen to both sides, agree with elements of both, and makes informed decisions using the nonpartisan elements of fact and science.

Currently, it is estimated that roughly 38% of registered voters are independent in party affiliation. That amounts to a larger percentage of registered voters than either of the two major political parties in the United States. As such, elections are typically determined by whom the independent voter-base breaks for, commonly referred to as 'swing voters'. A surprising fact of this is that neither of the major political parties tends to accommodate the views that independents frequently poll on in a heavy way, rather choosing to stoke their partisan bases in an effort to energize voters that solidly identify as either red or blue. 

This is why the two-party system is truly a flawed one that doesn't properly align itself to the majority of registered American voters. Political parties cause partisan lean to a single thought process based around a specific ideology or political philosophy, and arguably cause the loss of central voices that lean directly in the hot center of the American dream. It is up to us as independents to fight for our representation harder than ever before, to unify our growing numbers in an effort of recognizance. Without so, we truly lose the most independent thing about us, our voice.

By the People, for the People, of the People, for it is We the People.