New Mexico sees spike in Independent voter registration

From KOB-TV.com - by Stuart Dyson - New Mexico is one of the states leading the way as more and more voters registered Independent, turning away from the two major political parties. Democrats made big gains back in the 2008 election with President Barack Obama's visionary campaign inspiring many voters to register democratic. But in 2012, it is a different story. Right now in New Mexico is about 48 percent Democrat by voter registration, 32 percent Republican, and a fast-growing 17 percent Independent.  the latest numbers from the New Mexico Secretary of State showed Democrats losing more than 13,000 voters since the 2008 election cycle, about 2.3 percent of their total. Republicans have gained more than 8,000 voters, an increase of about 2.3 percent in their numbers. There are more than 26,000 new independent voters since 2008 - a big increase. "It's a reflection of how Americans and how the typical American views American politics right now," said University of New Mexico political science professor Mike Rocca. "I think people are fed up with the negativity. I think they are fed up with what they do as two parties who can't get anything done." "Independent voters tend to lean one way or the other," said his political science colleague, professor Tim Krebs. " It's rare to find the voter who is truly independent, undecided. They often lean in one direction or the other." National polling shows about 10 percent of Independent voters are actually undecided and could go either way for Mitt Romney or President Obama. Still, none of the Independent voters can be counted on as strong supporters of either candidate. Read more

New Mexico sees spike in Independent voter registration