Straw Poll: Independent Party’s endorsement affect on Ore. voters

When over 300 Oregon taxpayer activists were asked if the Independent Party endorsement would affect their opinion on issues, 29% said it was more likely. Coincidentally, that is about the same percentage as total combined Independent Party (3%) and non-affiliated voters (21%) presently in the state.  Could  it be that non-affiliated voters are still thinking of the Independent Party as non-affiliated voters, or do the non-affiliated voters truly follow the  lead of the Independent Party?

A half century ago, barely 2 percent of Oregon’s registered voters were neither Democrats nor Republicans. Three decades ago that share had swelled to 14 percent–about one in every seven voters. For the past decade, the “nonaffiliated” voters, as they are officially known, have hovered around 20 percent. Independent Party of Oregon

As of  the Jan. 2011 elections, this Oregon trend remained the same. Nonaffiliated are at 21%. The Independent Party has only 3% of the vote, all other Parties 2 ½%, Republicans with 32% and Democrats still holding the lead with 42%. Oregon State Elections, Jan. 2011