With the heated political debates and political advertising at a fever pitch as November approaches, the relevance of non-partisan politics took center stage on Wednesday in the Cronkite Theater with a discussion about Proposition 121.
Former Republican Congressman, Mickey Edwards, and former campaign chief, Jackie Salit, discussed the Independent Party as well as the non-partisan movement moderated by Don Budinger, founder and current chairman of the Rodel Foundation.
Proposition 121, known as the Open Government Act, would amend the Arizona Constitution to include all candidates on the primary election regardless of party affiliation, said David Berman, senior researcher for Morrison Institute for Public Policy.
Currently, 33 percent of voters in Arizona are Independents while 40 percent of voters in the U.S. are Independents. Edwards and Salit both discussed the problem with the primaries being closed to Independents because 40 percent of registered voters are not able to vote for a candidate.
Salit said she believes if Proposition 121 passed, it would be a “shot heard around the world.”
Edwards said he believes that the current situation is unacceptable and undermines Independents’ ability to choose their leaders.
According to Salit’s website, the problem is that the major parties operate through a closed system where they can follow their own interests for government.
Both Salit and Edwards discussed how politicians focus on the negative aspects of their opponents in order to get ahead in the polls. Edwards said politicians need to “pay a price for (their) behavior.” If voters did not respond to the negative campaigns then politicians would stop promoting them and focus on the issues at hand.
Salit believes that the 2008 election began the movement for non-partisan reform.
“Independents were a huge driving force in this political uprising. We have to change this political culture,” Salit said.
Political science freshman Brandon Evans attended the event as a representative of the Young Democrats of Arizona and liked seeing the older generation in the crowd.
Evans said he believes that the older people are solidified in their party affiliation. The older generations listening to the discussion about non-partisan politics may signify a change, he said.
Salit said there is a shift toward more younger voters becoming Independents. She said that most people used to believe the Independent party was mostly a white older generation party, but that more young and multiracial voters are registering as Independents.
Both Salit and Edwards are optimistic about the future because of the Independent voting trend.
“I think the American people are paying attention to these issues,” Salit said.
Contact the reporter at marico2@asu.edu
