The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Sarah Smallhouse
Arizona has a political party called the Arizona Independent Party. It was formerly known as the No Labels Party of Arizona, and all voters who registered as No Labels party members will henceforth be members of the Arizona Independent Party unless they change their voter re-registration. Registered Independent voters will remain unaffiliated with any party. Should a voter who is registered as an Independent want to become an Arizona Independent Party member, they must change their voter registration from “Independent” to “Arizona Independent Party.” You can change your registration preference on the Secretary of State’s website: https://azsos.gov/elections/voters/registering-vote.
It’s not complicated and it is not improper.
No Labels changed its name to The Arizona Independent Party because we wanted to clearly communicate what the party stands for: independent thought. We are a private organization, just as the Democratic and the Republican parties are, and we can name our organization what we want to name it. The Secretary of State recognized our name change and agreed Arizona ballots should reflect current information.
This is not sinister or confusing.
However, political insiders have been quick to file lawsuits and the Republicans in our Legislature decided our state needs an emergency bill prohibiting the use of “Independent” in a political party name. Why is there so much angst? Because Republican and Democratic candidates do not want to compete with independent-minded candidates who may have a decent mix of ideas. So-called “traditional” candidates must adhere to the national HQ talking points and party priorities. If they fail to uphold the party line they will be “primaried” and kicked out of office.
Why do we need the Arizona Independent Party? Because without party status, independent-minded candidates are virtually shut out of elections due to the number of signatures they need to qualify for the ballot (43,000 compared to 6000 for a Republican or Democrat). Voters who might like to vote for an independent thinker never get a chance, and that is 43% of Arizona voters. We need candidates that are responsive to them too. We reject nasty finger pointing and embrace a party that rewards practical solutions.
The time has come to break up the bitter polarization that plagues our state and keeps us from making progress through respectful coalition-building and compromise. Many voters on both sides of the aisle have re-registered to be unaffiliated because the prevailing parties no longer represent their views. Young voters are overwhelmingly choosing to be unaffiliated. We are trying to give these voters and would-be candidates an alternative — people who think for themselves and craft policies that make sense of Arizonans. Candidates who won’t have to worry about getting “primaried.”
Hugh Lytle, a member of the Arizona Independent Party, recently announced he is running for Governor. He is an entrepreneur in the healthcare industry focused on making the Medicaid system work for the people who rely on it. He has served his customers, brought in investment capital to Arizona, and made a living for himself and thousands of employees who have worked for companies he built over many years. He is a creative people-centered man who has produced real value for our state. He’s not afraid to think out of the box and is courageously stepping up to see if he can bring innovation to government the way he did in healthcare. Give him serious consideration — he might just be the breath of fresh air you’ve been waiting for!
Follow these steps to easily submit a letter to the editor or guest opinion to the Arizona Daily Star.
