A New Tactic: New Voters "Decline to state" Party Affiliation

Tens of thousands of newly registered New Mexico voters this year: More than half are young, and many declined to name a party affiliation, choosing to remain independent. Because of their numbers, these voters could also affect the close race between President Bush and Democrat John Kerry. More than half, or 56 percent of newly registered voters this year are younger than 35, according to an analysis of voter data performed by Research and Polling Inc. of Albuquerque. More than a third are younger than 25.  Just 6 percent are senior citizens, Research and Polling president Brian Sanderoff said.And of those under 25, more than a third are declining to name a party affiliation."What it means is that there are a lot of young independent-minded people that have registered this year and both campaigns should be paying attention to them," Sanderoff said. Democrats have and continue to hold the registration edge in New Mexico. The increase in independent voters appears to be at the expense of both Republicans and Democrats. [more ]

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