An independent candidate is not affiliated with any political party and may run due to a lack of alignment with their original party. They often have a centrist viewpoint, but gaining ballot access can be difficult. However, as more people become politically active, independent candidates have a better chance of being elected.
In politics, an independent is generally the term used to describe a candidate who is unaffiliated with any political party. The word has evolved to some extent and can also be used to describe a candidate who is not a member of a country’s major political parties. In the United States, if one is not a Republican or Democrat, he could be listed as an independent or third-party candidate.
Another reason a candidate might run as an independent is if they no longer feel in tune with their original party. While a candidate may run for and even be elected Republican or Democrat at the same time, he may feel that neither follows his platform or actually represents the people. A commonly used phrase is “abandoned by the party”. A person who wants to run for office but feels abandoned by his or her favorite party may feel that there is no other choice but to run as an independent.
An independent candidate often has a more centrist or moderate viewpoint than the two main parties, and many people prefer the middle line. However, they will have trouble voting for an independent candidate in many situations, since it is very difficult to gain ballot access. The major parties like it that way and voting access for an Independent has become increasingly difficult to obtain over the years.
While an independent could once receive access to the ballot after collecting signatures, no mean feat considering the number of signatures needed was generally in the tens of thousands, it was still simpler than a show of support from the voters. In many cases today, the independent candidate is required to show voter support and the percentage needed can be between 1% and 15% of the votes cast during the previous election. In state elections, a candidate may receive “write-in” votes, where voters write in the candidate’s name instead of choosing from those names listed on the ballot.
As more people care about the state of this nation and the rest of the world and become more politically active, an independent candidate has a better chance of being elected. Voters who don’t believe the major parties are serving their interests are starting to push for equal access for independent candidates in terms of votes, debates and even funding. In some cases, they vote for an Independent to demonstrate to the party with whom they are registered that his performance is unacceptable.
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