Independents can vote Feb. 5 The Jan. 4 story "Unaffiliated N.J. voters don't have voice in primary" suggests unaffiliated or independent voters the largest group of registered voters in the state will be left out of the Feb. 5 presidential primaries. This is simply not true.
The article explains that in New Jersey's closed primary system, registered voters who aren't affiliated with a party can show up on primary day, declare a party and vote in that party's primary, but the headline is discouraging and misleading. Moreover, the article falls short of encouraging New Jerseyans to engage in our civic duty to vote. An independent voter can vote Feb. 5. After the primary, you can declare yourself once again as unaffiliated by mailing a form to your county's Commissioner of Registration. The form is available from the state Division of Elections. More than half of registered voters in New Jersey are unaffiliated and could have a major say in the primary if they choose to do so. Voter turnouts in Iowa and New Hampshire were stellar, and independents have played an important role in the outcomes. Will New Jersey join in this important process? Historically, New Jersey has a poor turnout by both major parties in presidential primaries. This is understandable considering past New Jersey primaries have been so late in the calendar, the party nominees already were coronated, leaving us with little say. But the change in date to February's Super Tuesday changed all of that. So, independents, don't stay on the sidelines. Come out Feb. 5 and vote the person, not the party. Cristine Delnevo Princeton Posted by: Michael W. Brim, Chairman Asbury Park Democratic Committee Recording Secretary, Monmouth County Democrats Michael W. Brim 321 Sunset Ave. 5F Asbury Park NJ 07712 Cell: 732-996-8160 Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/