Frank MacKay Launches

All Independents Primary:

Initiative to Open Independence Party Primary

to New York’s 2.2 Million Unaffiliated Voters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 21, 2002

CONTACT: Sarah Lyons

Ph: 212-962-1824 / 917-658-9885

New York--Fresh off an election cycle which drew record levels of 

participation on the party’s Row C, Independence Party state chairman 

Frank 

MacKay has launched an initiative to open up its primary elections for 

statewide office to New York’s 2.2 million unaffiliated voters. 

Unaffiliated voters constitute 20% of the electorate in the state.

After a hard-fought gubernatorial primary that more than tripled the 

number 

of Independence Party primary voters, the general election saw more New 

Yorkers voting on the Independence line than ever before.  This year’s 

gubernatorial total (632,574) nearly doubled the Independence 1998 

statewide vote (365,056). In addition, Independence drew 217,055 votes 

for 

Elliot Spitzer and 169,397 for John Faso.  In a memo circulated last 

week 

to the 22 member Executive Committee, MacKay stated:

"New York State now has five ballot status parties: The Republicans and 

Democrats are ‘the majors,’ the Conservatives and the Working Families 

historically cross-endorse Republicans and Democrats respectively. The 

Independence Party continues to chart an independent course. This year 

we 

polled more votes on our line than any other race in our history. With 

this 

extraordinary level of achievement, I want to immediately go to work on 

elevating our role in New York State politics and increasing the 

visibility 

and leverage of our base - the independent voter. "

Political parties in several other states, notably the Republican Party 

of 

Connecticut, North Carolina and Maryland and the Democratic Party of 

Oregon 

have opened their primaries to unaffiliated independents.  The 

Democratic 

Party of Utah open its primary to all voters  even those enrolled in 

another party.

In 1986, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a state party organization 

had 

the right to let independent voters participate in its primary and that 

the 

state constitution was in violation of First Amendment rights of free 

association. (Tashjian vs. Republican Party of Connecticut, 479 U.S. 

208 

(1986)).

MacKay stated:

"There are more than two million registered voters in New York State 

who 

are not enrolled in a political party. These voters are currently left 

out 

of a critical phase in the electoral process - the selection of general 

election candidates in party primaries - a price they have been forced 

to 

pay in order to assert their independence from the corruption of a two 

party system. We can reward these voters for their independence by 

empowering them to participate in our statewide public office 

primaries."

The All Independents Primary would open the Independence Party primary 

to 

unaffiliated voters for statewide office -- Governor and Lieutenant 

Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller and U.S. Senator.

The initiative must be approved by the party’s State Committee which 

next 

meets on February 1, 2003.

# # #

Fact Sheet:  The Independence Party and the

All Independents Primary

¨       Independence Party State Chairman Frank MacKay is urging the 

Independence Party to open up its statewide public office primaries to 

include unaffiliated independents.

¨       Over 2.2 million registered voters in New York State declare no 

affiliation with a political party.  They represent 20.06% -- one fifth 

-- 

of the total number of registered voters in the state.

§               11,246,362      total registered voters

§               2,257,070       unaffiliated voters

¨       Under the MacKay plan, unaffiliated independents would be 

eligible 

to vote in Independence Party primaries for Governor, Lt. Governor, 

Comptroller, Attorney General and U.S. Senate.

¨       Political parties in several states, notably the Republican 

Party 

of Connecticut, North Carolina and Maryland and the Democratic Party of 

Oregon have opened their primaries to unaffiliated independents.  The 

Democratic Party of Utah opened its primary to all voters  even those 

enrolled in another party.

¨       In 1984, the Republican Party of Connecticut changed its party 

rules to allow unaffiliated voters to participate in its primaries for 

state and federal offices.   Challenged by the Secretary of State, the 

case 

traveled up through the legal system.  In 1986, the U.S. Supreme Court 

ruled that a state party organization had the right to let independent 

voters participate in its primary and that the state constitution was 

in 

violation of First Amendment rights of free association. (Tashjian vs. 

Republican Party of Connecticut, 479 U.S. 208 (1986))

¨       In 1996 California’s Proposition 198 brought into effect the 

Open 

Primary Law, which allowed voters to cast their ballot in primary 

elections 

for any candidate.  Called a “blanket” primary, the Supreme Court ruled 

in 

July of 2000 this election system unconstitutionally infringed on 

parties’ 

right to control their own destinies.

¨       This year, Secretaries of State in West Virginia (Manchin) and 

Michigan (Miller), have called for open primaries.

¨       On December 2, 2002 a Federal District Court in Oklahoma will 

hear 

a case wherein the Libertarian Party of Oklahoma is suing the Secretary 

of 

State for preventing the party from opening its primary to all 

registered 

voters.

Independence Party Vote Totals at a Glance

Year            Governor        Attorney General        Comptroller

         2002            632,574                 217,055         

169,397

         1998            365,05                  681,439         

168,263