Peter Wright holds an American flag above hundreds of people who were forced to organize in a parking lot during the caucus at East High school in Denver on March 1. (Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)
Re: Colorado presidential primary bill would allow independents, April 22 news story.
All taxpayers pay for elections. Forcing independent voters to affiliate with a political party in order to have their voice heard is wrong, and strips us of our right to be free and independent from any political party. Independents do not constitute a third party, and we do not view ourselves as either a Republican or a Democrat, or any other political party for that matter, which is why we have chosen to be independent. Shutting independent voters out of primary elections that we as taxpayers pay for is unjust, and does not allow us fair and equal representation in the voting process.
Unaffiliated voters make up 37 percent of Colorado s active voters, and we should have the right to participate in the primary elections.
Deirdre Reed, Denver
This letter was published in the May 1 edition.We have to remember that caucuses and primaries are party affairs, held to nominate candidates from two essentially private parties. Those of us who choose to be unaffiliated do so because we don t want to join either party. As liberal as I consider myself (especially when it comes to the right to vote freely), if I want to help nominate a candidate of my party, I should help form one and then all would be equal. I also think that since we have parties in politics, the states election machinery should facilitate the process but only in a hands-off fashion, with the parties themselves footing the bill. General elections for state and federal offices would be the duty of the state to handle. Let s keep party separate from the rest of the process.
Allen Beck, Montrose
This letter was published in the May 1 edition.
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