Before an election, we’re inevitably inundated with stories about independent and undecided voters. These are the people who don’t align strongly with either of the major political parties. They vote on issues rather than candidates. They are principled. They often don’t make up their minds until right before casting their ballots. (They are indecisive.) There are a lot of them, but they’re elusive. They are, basically, election unicorns.
I am driven by data, so I begrudgingly accept that independent voters exist, but not to the extent the data would have us believe. About 40% of voters consistently self-identify as independent, but far fewer of them vote that way. Roughly 75% of “independents” actually lean left or right, and they vote for those parties almost as often as openly partisan voters. Researchers believe that dissonance is less about voting patterns than it is about perception. We’re all so exhausted by constant partisan bickering that nearly half of us prefer to distance ourselves from the system altogether — even as we cast our ballots with one side over the other.
The Big Takeaway
Both Congress and state legislatures are heavily partisan, but gridlock is much more prevalent at the federal level. This is likely because state-level partisanship tends to be pretty consistent, by which I mean that places led by Republican governors often have Republican-majority legislatures, while states with Democratic governors often have Democratic statehouses.
This is a fairly recent trend. As of today, 37 states are controlled by a single party, the most in the past 30 years. That consolidation of power, known as a trifecta, makes it much easier for the majority party to push through (often controversial) legislation that aligns with its policy objectives, though it doesn’t insulate the process from drama. (Looking at you, Florida!) And in the 13 states with divided governments, drama is essentially a given.
Consider Virginia, where Republicans hold the governorship and a majority in the House of Delegates, but Democrats control the Senate. The divided General Assembly held a one-day veto session on Wednesday, a relatively straightforward procedural gathering that devolved into a Democratic coup, an accusation that Gov. Glenn Youngkin was using “Putin-esque tactics” to punish a school board, and massive confusion over marijuana laws that led to a break until — and I cannot make this up — 4:20 p.m.
Let’s start with the Democrats, who convened behind closed doors to oust their caucus leader just before the session kicked off — then failed to install a replacement, the Virginia Mercury reported. A Portsmouth Democrat was rumored to be the brains of the coup, but we’ll never know why; he declined to comment on his motivations, telling the Mercury that he could not “offer anything.” (Honestly, same.)
The lack of leadership didn’t matter in the short term, since Democrats lacked the votes to overturn any of Youngkin’s 26 vetoes, per the Mercury. But they made their objections known! A Youngkin proposal that would have forced an entire school board to run for reelection ahead of schedule drew a rebuke from one Democrat, who said the authoritarian measure would set a dangerous precedent that could embolden state lawmakers to retaliate against local officials simply because they have different opinions.
“Vladimir Putin can dissolve the city council and have a new mayor elected,” said Del. Marcus Simon, a Fairfax Democrat. “But that’s not how we do it in democracy.”
Democrats also objected to amendments the governor tacked onto a cannabis bill that would have reinstated criminal penalties for marijuana possession. The change, lawmakers said, went far beyond the recommendations of a state oversight commission, which had suggested categorizing public marijuana usage as a low-level misdemeanor. That would leave violators subject to small fines, similar to what you’d incur for drinking in public, while Youngkin’s changes could recriminalize possession in all circumstances, advocates said.
The disagreement derailed the bill, which was originally meant to crack down on unregulated (and often illegal) THC products. After dooming the legislation by referring it back to committee, lawmakers made vague overtures toward reviving it in the near future but offered no details.
Similarly unclear: The outcome of Ohio’s Republican U.S. Senate primary, where a quarter of voters remain undecided less than a week before Election Day, per the Ohio Capital Journal. Even former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of J.D. Vance did little to clarify the race. For some voters, it made the choice more complicated.
One couple told the Capital Journal they’d voted for state Sen. Matt Dolan because he was the only one not emphasizing divisions. One self-described Trumpster who voted for state treasurer Josh Mandel said the former president suffers from “foot-in-mouth disease” but is “entitled to his opinions.” A second Mandel voter said his choice boiled down to the candidate who could best balance the state’s budget, not the one with the most appealing personality.
“I was actually going to go to that Trump rally,” he said. “And then as soon as Trump endorsed that Vance guy, I said, Man, I’m not going there and wasting my damn time.”
GOP voters in Las Vegas are similarly conflicted about a more hypothetical decision — whether to vote for Trump or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2024 presidential election. (Neither has launched a formal campaign, though it seems likely both will at least explore a presidential run.)
One registered independent told the Nevada Current he’d likely vote for DeSantis over Trump. That was due in part to the governor’s “education” policy, which essentially boils down to Not Letting Teachers Talk About The Existence Of LGBTQ+ Or Non-White People, Lest It Bother The (Straight, White) Children.
A second voter said he’d prefer DeSantis as president, with Trump, noted paragon of diplomacy, as secretary of state. A married couple was split between the two, while Las Vegas resident Lisa Noeth said she’d like a joint ticket, with Trump as president and DeSantis as VP. She felt he’d be a good replacement for former Vice President Mike Pence, who refused to participate in Trump’s attempt to overthrow the 2020 election and in doing so “turned away from us real conservatives.”
“Pence is part of the old Republican party that is no longer recognizable,” Noeth said. “They don’t represent the people. This is Trump’s America.”
It sure is. After speaking to voters outside of a campaign rally, a reporter from the Current headed inside to hear DeSantis speak on behalf of U.S. Senate hopeful Adam Laxalt. She was stopped by John Burke, a representative from Laxalt’s campaign, who first tried to claim she hadn’t RSVP’d. He was undeterred when presented with confirmation of the RSVP.
“We know you’re media,” he said.
A political party is the worst party of all: Oregon state senator’s ‘heightened rhetoric’ will get another federal court review … Herbster targets groping accuser Slama in paid campaign TV ad, perhaps a first in Nebraska … (North Carolina) Well-heeled candidates sink millions of dollars of personal money into races for open congressional seats
Caught Our Eye
I was today years old when I learned about the existence of “advanced recycling,” a process that breaks down plastics that can’t be processed at regular recycling facilities (things like wrappers, or that miserable film on the top of the ricotta container that can only be freed with a knife and a prayer).
Lawmakers in Missouri want to ease regulation of the process in the hopes of bringing new facilities (and jobs) into the state, but critics say advanced recycling is a pipe dream that expends massive energy and emits greenhouse gasses, all to convert plastic to fossil fuels that can be burned.
A bill that would exempt advanced recycling facilities from permit requirements already cleared the House and a Senate committee. It heads next to the full chamber. Eighteen states have passed similar bills, according to the American Chemistry Council.
From the Newsrooms
- (Tennessee) Knox County Schools declines questions about officer assault of middle schooler
- (New Mexico) Inside the evacuation zone, people protect animals, homes and each other
- Georgia college students learning hard economics lessons as cost of living rises
- Grappling with war: Ukrainian community in New Hampshire mounts aid efforts while awaiting resettlement
- (Louisiana) Critical testimony could be out of reach for Ronald Greene committee
One Last Thing
A woman had to be pulled out of an outhouse poop hole* in a national forest after she fell while trying to retrieve her phone. Officials said the (unnamed for obvious reasons) woman was using the phone when it fell into the toilet; she took the toilet seat apart and tied dog leashes together to try and fish it out before giving up and using them to belay herself down into the hole. She fell headfirst**, but — silver lining! — was able to use her phone to call 911 once she found it.***
*super technical term
**I am fine
***if ever there were a time for the poop emoji amirite
This edition of the Evening Wrap published on April 28, 2022. Subscribe here.
