Choice Edwards, a spokesperson and leader for Florida Independent Voting.org (IndependentVoting.org’s Florida affiliate) and resident of Orlando, will be attending his first National Conference of Independents. Here he speaks about his journey to becoming an independent:
“I threw off the yoke of partisanship.
I was a registered Republican for 40 plus years. At 26 years of age, I was elected to the state legislature as a Republican. However, it felt good not to carry a party label or banner when I ran and was elected to the nonpartisan school board. (I still had voters ask “What party are you?)
As small factions within the GOP started moving further, on social issues, to the political right than I was comfortable, I had to examine my future in a party that more and more had “the tail wagging the dog”
I considered pledging my allegiance to the Democrat Party. But, then I thought, “Why?” Why must I be a member of a private political club?
Upon further examination, it angered me that, in Florida, the two private political parties have been given authority over my right to vote in the primary for a public office, simply because I was not registered in that party!
As an unaffiliated or no-party-affiliation voter, I don’t have to be labeled with those in either party with whom I may disagree.
With full disclosure: I have voted for Libertarians, Democrats and Republicans.
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