Regarding the letter from Matthew St. Onge that Independents need a headquarters, I am one of those undeclared voters. When asked to pick my affiliation and given the choice of Democrat, Republican, Independent or other, I choose other. Many times I have pointed out to telephone poll takers that undeclared does not mean independent. There is a big difference between undeclared and independent voters. The American Independent Party, established in 1967, is a far-right political party who nominated George Wallace for president. I can’t speak for all undeclared voters, but that does not reflect my values. I lean towards Democrat, but do not subscribe to the full platform or any one party, including the Libertarians.
I have always advocated for having multiple recognized political parties. Unfortunately in America almost everything has become an either/or: left or right, red or blue, Republican or Democrat. We could be a much greater country if we were willing to allow more choices in political affiliation on the ballot. I remember once I said that we shouldn’t have just two political parties. A woman standing next to me said “you mean we should have just one?” Her remark really stayed with me, that her first thought was for less, not more. Anyway, call me undeclared, but don’t call me independent.
Susan Faretra
Concord