A donkey and elephant sitting back to back, dejected

THE PARTY’S OVER

A pledge for political independence

What's so bad about political parties anyway?

It's not that political parties are "bad" in-and-of-themselves or designed to deceive, but that they can encourage undemocratic results and bring out the worst in us. As George Washington predicted, the parties, in an effort to secure electoral victory, tend to divide us as a Nation and to define every election in the starkest terms: freedom vs. tyranny, socialism vs. "trickle down economics," rich vs. working poor, etc., even when competing candidates may differ only slightly in terms of their actual policy positions. Party politics tend to focus voters on labels rather than substance. In that way, political parties obscure and confuse, create false distinctions, and divide our society just when we need to come together as a Nation to solve real—and pressing—problems.

Why do I need to register as an independent—can't I just vote for whomever I want even though I'm registered as a Republican or Democrat?

The point of the pledge is to make a statement to both parties that voters are tired of politics as usual. If enough voters "de-register" as Republican or Democrat, either the parties themselves will be forced to appeal to more moderate and mainstream voters, or, better yet, a politician's party (a rather artificial label to begin with) will cease to matter, and voters will select candidates based on their ability to lead and to represent the voters of their district rather than their allegiance to one party or the other.

If I register as an independent, will that prevent me from voting in a primary?

It depends on whether your state has "open" primaries, in which any registered voter can participate in the primary of his or her choice, or "closed" primaries, where only individuals registered with a party can vote in that party's primary. In states with closed primaries, in many instances you may register for that party on the day of the primary, allowing you to participate in selecting that party's candidate, and you can always switch your registration back to independent for the general election. (Please note, however, that some states—like New York—may require you to register as affiliated with a particular party as many as three months before a primary election, often before the candidates and issues have become clear.)

Who started this site? Who's funding and supporting it?

Two concerned citizens created this site when we became convinced that our two-party system was doing more harm than good. We are affiliated with and answer to no outside group, but to our own consciences. We believe that George Washington's worst fears have been realized and that a "spirit of party" now dominates our political discourse, divides us against each other, and limits our ability as a Nation to address real and daunting political and social problems.

I think this is great—what can I do to help?

Make the pledge and spread the word in any way you can (email, phone, online). There is real power in numbers and, if enough of us act, we can begin to take our Nation back from the "spirit of party" that has come to dominate every election cycle.