VERBATIM: Can you please tell me why you are registered as an Independent or Unaffiliated?

Question 14
Can you please tell me why you are registered as an Independent or Unaffiliated?

• It depends. One time I was impressed with the Democrats and another with the Republicans.
• I’m not happy with the entire political mess. I believe that it gives me the options to better weigh the choices that I can make with not having to be obligated to vote for one certain party.
• I am registered as an independent because I wanted someone to ask for my vote. I wanted to spend a message to the Republican party. You better watch it. My husband and I are both independent. We have both had calls from both parties since registering independent.
• Because I don’t get mail or phone calls from either party. Because I like to choose for the person, not what party they are with. I like to vote both sides.
• Like I said earlier, I base my opinion on what I feel is right.
• I don’t want to be affiliated with any party. I want to vote for the person I feel will do the best job.
• Like to vote for the person.
• Choose the person and not the party. Both parties have their problems.
• Don’t vote the party line. Look at the issues. Anti-incumbent, will vote for anyone.
• So I can vote for whoever I think is the best candidate. I don’t think you should have to register with a party to vote. I really don’t like either party.
• I’m registered as an independent because it allows me to vote for the best candidate. I vote for the candidate, not the party.
• You can vote in either primary.
• I’m supposed to be registered as a Republican. I was independent a long time ago and just never changed it.
• More attention is paid to independents. We are the swing voters.
• Sometimes the Republicans and Democrats play the fence. They vote for the political party. They should vote for the person who can get the job done.
• I just changed my affiliation to Republican.
• Well, now I am registered as a Republican.
• Lost faith in both parties.
• I do not favor neither party.
• I wanted to vote for the man instead of the party.
• Because I believe in voting for the person, not party.
• Because I vote for the person I think will do the best job.
• I have always been a Republican. I didn’t know I was registered as that.
• I don’t like to compete.
• That’s what I want to be. I don’t like parties.
• Because I don’t always agree with the Democrats, and I’m more liberal than they are sometimes. Haven’t found a party I agree with on military issues.
• I switched my affiliation to Democrat to vote for Obama. I don’t think I’m registered as an independent.
• I don’t want to be pegged as adhering to one set of political views.
• Because I vote for the person. There are some Democrats that I vote for, even though I am registered Republican. I vote for the person, not the name of the party they are in. I have voted both sides since I started to vote. 
• I am registered as a Democrat.
• It was a mistake. I have to re-register as a Democrat.
• I don’t like to be labeled one way or another, since I am unhappy with the way the Democrats and Republicans are handling this country. I will support the independents.
• Well, because it should not be a two party system. We should be a one party country. It would eliminate most of the problems in our government. I vote for who I believe in, not the party.
• I like to vote for who I want. It does not matter what party they are in. I only vote for the person, not the party. 
• I am not happy with either side, so I switched.
• I feel like can vote for anyone I want.
• I do not like neither parties.
• Because that is how I wanted to register.
• So that I can vote in the primaries. I’m not always a straight line Republican.
• I never liked any one party that much. I never wanted to belong to or follow any party.
• Because Republicans are not conservative enough, and the Democrats are too liberal.
• Well, cause I feel like it is a better place to be where I can vote for who I want to.
• Because neither of them have an answer for the problems we have in the country.
• I just wanted a new change. I want to vote who I felt who was right for it.
• I’m free to vote any way I please.
• Because sometimes I go either way.
• Because I don’t totally agree with either party.
• I just vote for who I want and have all my life.
• I’m really more of a Republican. When I think about, I doubt I’ve voted for very many so-called independents.
• Offhand, I’m old fashioned.
• I can still vote Republican if I want.
• Frankly, I don’t like either party’s rhetoric.
• Quit the GOP, betrayed by Bush and Cheney. They established a policy that is un-Democratic and nearly unraveled the constitution. I have a PhD in history, and I know what I’m saying.
• I needed to change. A friend of mine run for a local court, a clerk.
• At the time I thought that was a good choice I made.
• Because I feel like I need to study, read about people, not just vote based one party. I wasn’t raised that way.
• I am an independent person, and I vote for the person that is feel is more qualified.
• Because I don’t want to get into either party.
• I can’t remember.
• Because sometimes both parties make me sick, and whoever has the best candidate will win.
• Because there are some Democrats that I don’t approve of, and I can also say there are mistakes that have been made by the general Republican party during that last administration that I feel need to be rectified.
• I made the mistake of being a registered Democrat for too long. And it gets too old.
• Because I’m open for anything that hasn’t been.
• Because I have the right to register that way.
• In North Carolina, unaffiliated has the ability to vote in either the Democratic or Republican party. For example, if there is a priority, I can vote one way, and if there is a runoff, I can go and vote another way. I like flexibility to vote either way.
• Well, I used to be a Democrat, and I switched to independent because if I want to vote for someone who is Republican, I can vote for them, or Democrat, I can vote for them in the primary.
• I try to vote for the man and not the party.
• Because I do not want to vote all one party. I want to feel I can make a more informed decision. I go across party line. That’s enough. For someone who is unaffiliated, I am very upset with how our government is running. Local doing better than national.
• I wanted to vote for Barack Obama as opposed to Clinton.
• I try and vote conservative.
• I am not going to tell you who I affiliate with. It is none of anyone’s concern.
• Because I can vote for whom I want. I no longer trust the Democrats or the Republicans to do the right thing.
• I just vote for the person, not the party. I can vote national for the Republican and local for the Democrat.
• The two party system doesn’t work well. People don’t look at the problem in general. They look at the person from the party. That’s how they make their decisions.
• I don’t really know. I vote for Democrat sometimes.
• I voted the way my parents voted when I was young. I decided to vote the way I feel without consideration of party.
• I am an independent because I can vote for whoever I want to.
• I can go either way and choose whichever party I feel is best after having hearing all sides and not having to be committed to just one party.
• Well, then I can vote for anybody I want, and its not for a party.
• I vote who I vote for. Some I agree with and some I don’t, so I pick the one I agree with.
• I don’t like the party system in general.
• Because I vote for the person I think does the best job.
• The reason I am unaffiliated is I will vote someone based on their quality, not what their affiliation is. Just that and what I am more comfortable with.
• Refused.
• Because my husband is. Not sure.
• I have always been independent. There are things I like about both parties, so I have to be independent to vote for who I like.
• From time to time, I don’t vote along party lines.
• I refuse to draw a party line, and I look for the best person, regardless of party, to vote for.
• Because I can go anywhere I want to go and vote for who ever I want to.
• Because I vote both ways. I usually vote for the person, not the party.
• I want to be free to vote for whoever I think in the best candidate. I don’t completely trust either party, so I don’t want to be a member of either one.
• I’m not. I’m registered as a Democrat. They told me I could not register as unaffiliated. A few years ago I tried to register unaffiliated.
• I do not feel that either party is doing what they should, and I can vote on issues, not for the party.
• Don’t vote just Republican. Voted for Mike McIntyre who’s a Democrat. Vote for the person who has Christian and family values.
• I am very disappointed with our parties. The spending is out of control and I don’t approve of that. I am very disappointed with both parties. They need to work together to do the things that need to be done for the country as a whole.
• I don’t have enough reason to go with a certain party.
• Because I can swing either way.
• I vote for the person.
• Republicans suck, and Democrats don’t know what they are doing in the office. I vote for who I want to vote for, the person who will do the best job. 
• The two parties are just not working well together. I’m a mix of positions depending on types of issues. But I’m generally progressive, and that would be my label, even though I voted for McCain and now strongly support Obama’s presidency.
• Because I vote both ways depending on the candidate.
• I don’t have any faith in either party. I think there need to be three parties because the two party system is not working.
• I am not voting for the party, but the best person for the party.
• Because there are some Republicans and Democrats I don’t favor. I’m not really for a specific party. I vote for who I feel.
• Because I’m unhappy with both parties. I don’t think either party is in the interest of the public.
• Because I wanted to vote against somebody in the primaries, a sheriff who was convicted of a felony, and I didn’t want him to be re-elected. Gerald Hege.
• Because I really didn’t agree with, the time when I registered to vote, with the Republicans or Democrats. So I decided to go liberal, so I could vote the way I wanted to. Some agreed with same sex issues, education, unemployment. Just different issues. Everyone should vote.
• Just so that I don’t be affiliated with one party over another.
• Because I don’t want to be told which party to vote for.
• It’s just that I tend to lean more towards Democrats, but I like to keep my options open.
• That is my personal understanding, better to be free to decide, not bound by any party. I like to lead life like a free man.
• I don’t tend to vote a straight party line ticket. I want to vote in either primary.
• Don’t believe in making decisions in long party lines. Don’t vote a party because of beliefs or who they are.
• Because the major parties are not fulfilling my aims and expectations.
• Because I want to vote for either party if I want to. I think there are good people in both parties, and I want to be able to vote for either side of them.
• I am registered as a Democrat. I vote for the person, not the party. I believe we should all be allowed to vote for who we as individuals believe is the right person for the job. 
• I wasn’t happy with either side, so I switched.
• Because I tend to vote for the issues, not for the Democratic candidate or the Republican candidate who are always beholden to someone.
• Because I don’t agree with the way the Democrats and Republicans have been handling our country. I believe the independents can help the country back to where we belong.
• I like to talk to people about what they believe, not what they want me to do.
• I want to be able to choose who I want for a candidate.
• I like to keep my options open.
• Because I like to vote in whichever primary is more interesting to me, because you can vote in whichever primary when your registered unaffiliated.
• Because sometimes I don’t vote always vote Democratic.
• Because I generally go by the issue and the individual, rather than what party they are with. I do not vote a straight ticket.
• Try to make judgement on the person running based on attributes rather than the party name.
• Both sides have to work for the people instead of their political agendas.
• Both parties are out in the woods and lost. The only solution is to vote for the independents, and hopefully things will improve.
• I am just more for the person than the party. I just want someone in office that is going to do the right thing.
• GOP went bad, too partisan. They are abusing their rights in Congress.
• I like the freedom it represents.
• I find things that I dislike in each party so I vote for who I want to vote for.
• I’m registered as independent but vote Democratic.
• I lean toward Republican views, but for personal reasons, I’m registered as an independent.
• I am not happy with the Republican party and what they stand for, and I have my own business, and I do not want people I do business with to be concerned about my beliefs.
• I couldn’t vote for who I wanted to, so I became unaffiliated.
• So I can vote in whichever primary I want to.
• I like to keep my options open for being able to vote for either party.
• I will not get massive amounts of mail. I like being able to vote in either primary.
• I just vote for whoever I feel is most qualified. The party doesn’t matter.
• I’m registered as Democrat, I believe.
• I agree with both Democrats and Republicans, but on different issues.
• To keep down calls like this that are partisan. It keeps both parties from asking for money every two seconds. I just want them to leave me alone.
• I can vote as I wish. I do vote for both parties but don’t want to be tied to either party anymore.
• Because I don’t feel a connection to either party.
• Because I think it’s important to evaluate each candidate independently.
• Because of professional reasons. Because I was a journalist for ten years, and I didn’t want people to see what party I was affiliated with and think that that had to do with the way I was writing.
• I’ve always been that.
• I don’t like political parties. 
• My choice, my decision. Don’t need nobody to tell me what I am or who I am. I decide who to vote for.
• I’m independent. Because in the primaries, when I think of who has the stronger voter approval, I want the best in that party to be on the slate. If I think the Democrats have a stronger voter approval, I want the best person in the office.
• Do not believe that we are represented appropriately by the people in office.
• I think the others are all corrupt. I like to have the choice of voting for either party, so I am independent.
• Democrat for years. Since I registered to vote, I voted Democrat. Just recently changed to Republican. Vote for person that I like by issues, Democrat or Republican.
• I had been a registered Democrat up until six months ago and was fed up with the way things were going, and then I registered as an independent. It was an embarrassment to be labeled a Democrat.
• I like to be able to choose based on policy.
• Because I have been voting Republican. My husband votes that way, so I follow him on some votes. I vote for the person that catches my interest on the opinions I follow and believe in. 
• Because I want to vote for the candidate who most closely agrees with my ideals, rather than march in lock step with one party.
• We were Republicans, but George W. Bush disappointed me. It was too polarized, and my wife and I decided that we no longer wanted to be affiliated with either of the parties.
• I don’t like to affiliate with a certain party. I vote for the person best suited for the job.
• Just because I don’t like how the things are going now. I can choose any party I want.
• No party really suits me, and I can vote in either primary.
• I am independent.
• Because I vote for the person. I do not vote party line.
• So that way if I wanted someone out in the Democratic race, I could vote against their opponent. When I voted for Hillary against Obama, but other than that, I vote conservative.
• Normally have tended to lean toward the Republicans, but as I am an educator, my best option would lie with the independents.
• I had too many problems with my party being too liberal. Democrats and the Republican party I don’t have too many problems with, and so my wife and I both decided to become independent.
• I’m not. I’m registered as a Democrat.
• I vote for the one that suits me better and the one I think will do a good and better job for us.
• I still feel like I am an unaffiliated, but I changed for local voting.
• Because I don’t want anyone to tell me how to vote or objective.
• I’m tired of being in primaries where I had to vote for one certain candidate.
• I rate a person by the issues they raise, not by the party in general.
• Years ago, didn’t understand what party was. At eighteen years old, I didn’t have any concern but put all independent and followed ever since.
• So then I can pick who I want to vote.
• I can vote in either primaries, and I vote for the person I like and what they stand for, not for the party they are in.
• Don’t belong to any party. I vote for the person. Never favored any party. I vote for the person.
• I don’t follow the Democratic or Republican lines, preferring to vote for the issues.
• I like to be able to have the right to vote for who I want.
• So people don’t call to try to get money from me.
• Because I look at what is important to me and my family and the community that I live in, and I vote accordingly.
• Because I like to be able to make a choice based on the individual candidate. I don’t believe in the two party system. I want to make my own choices about who I vote for.
• I just don’t like either party, and that way I can vote on either side.
• I am pro America, and I am not pro party.
• Because of all the years I was registered as a Democrat, they have gone the wrong way this past year, so I registered as an independent.
• Do not feel either party represents my political thoughts.
• Don’t like to be labeled one way or the other.
• I vote for the person who I think will provide good for our country and bring our country back again as it was before.
• Because I believe in voting for the person and that they have the values for the job.
• Because I don’t think politicians should have their jobs for too long. I don’t want to be identified with any one party.
• I am registered as a Republican. I was a registered Democrat until the second time Bill Clinton was elected. He was not representing my beliefs. The Republican party has moved from its true conservative base, so I am not happy with them either.
• Gives me more choices. I’m not in favor of either party because there are inconsistencies with both parties.
• I don’t think that one party can hold all of the views that I hold. Both parties have good and bad candidates on their side. I vote for the person, not the party. 
• I go more for the individual and not the party. I do not like to be restrained. I like to choose anyone I want.
• I was registered as a Democrat for over forty years, and I don’t like the way the party was going, so I switched. I don’t like how Obama is taking the country.
• Because I’m a homophobic, intolerant bigot. Get over it.
• I was registered Republican, but they have brain washed the people, and so I changed.
• I want to vote for whom I want to vote for and not for a particular party. They should limit the terms to two years.
• Just a choice, I guess.
• Because I make the decision of who needs to be in there, not Democrat and not Republican, just who I think the best is. I don’t want to be stuck on one person or one political group.
• Because I get disgusted with both parties. It is very partisan, and they refuse to work together to get anything done.
• Because I have been in several political parties, and I find that there is good and bad in each one of them, so I decided to be unaffiliated to choose the person who was the best candidate.
• I want to vote for the person and what they stand for, what issues they represent, not vote for the party.
• I don’t like to vote based on the party, only on the person.
• Because I vote for the person I feel will do the best job regardless of party.
• Because I vote for the person, not the party.
• I like to choose on the candidates on their record, not party affiliation.
• Mostly to avoid the mail contact that comes with party affiliation.
• Because I vote for the best person for the job. not whether they are a Republican or Democrat.
• I don’t want to vote for the party. I want to vote for the candidate.
• Because I sometimes agree with one party, and sometimes I agree with the other. I usually disagree with Republicans on social issues and with the Democrats on fiscal issues.
• Neither party meets my issues.
• Because I like to vote for specific candidates and not for parties.
• Because I lean towards the candidate, not the party.
• Because I like to vote for who the best candidate is and not their title.
• Because, probably, I would have to consider myself more of a constitutionalist than a Democrat or Republican. Pretty much with the constitution. You have to get those people credit.
• Mainly because my views are so spread in between, I don’t like to be categorized one or the other and have someone predetermine what my decision would be.
• I appreciate the flexibility of being labeled as an independent versus being labeled Republican or Democratic.
• I don’t think either of the parties, um, I never could never tell between the parties because they looked the same. But now that they have new people, its more interesting, meaning they’re not all old men.
• I like to do my own research on each candidate when the time comes, and also, I can vote in either poll when they have it, plus it’s convenient.
• Because I am independent.
• I am a registered Republican, but I have a few times voted Democrat. The candidates I voted for had more to offer then the Republicans running against them. I like to have a choice. 
• Prefer to vote for the person and do what I believe in.
• I don’t like party affiliation. Both parties have lost my respect.
• I hope that partisanship is of lesser importance at the state level, because it has certainly been corrosive at the national level. Well, I hope I’m right, but maybe I’m just being an optimist. In any case, at the state level, I vote only for the individual, regardless of party.
• Vote for people with the same values. Vote for issues. Don’t vote for the person, only issues.
• I thought the Republican party was conservative, and now they are out of control, and I like Barack Obama. Never voted a straight party ticket, and I vote for the person.
• I don’t feel any affiliation with any party and how capable they are with the issues.
• Having flexibility in voting.
• Because I tend to vote the issues, and am not handicapped by having to support the Democratic or Republican candidates.
• Made up mind at the last minute.
• I like to hear all sides of both parties.
• I have never affiliated myself with a political party since I first voted and never will. I’m just a very independent thinker. I don’t want to be lectured about how I should vote by some over the top partisan organization.
• Because I vote on the issues, not so much party line.
• Neither of the two major parties represent my beliefs. Cannot be registered as a Libertarian in North Carolina. Reverted to independent because of a law. Independents can vote in either primary. Lean towards Libertarian in political beliefs.
• Come from Minnesota. Strong, independent tradition. Always vote for best candidate at the time.
• Because I vote for the guy that does the best job.
• Because I vote the individual and the individual parties.
• To avoid getting all kinds of literature from either of the two parties.
• Gives me the most flexibility, more choices for the candidates.
• Because I used to be registered Democrat, and they no longer reflect my values. George Bush turned me off from Republicans, even though I am ultra conservative. I don’t like Rush Limbaugh.
• I’m not real thrilled with either party. There are good and bad in both parties.
• Don’t like to be tied down or limited in my choices.
• It depends on the parties. I like to make my own choices and not to be demanded to pick the choice I have to pick.
• In order to vote against a Republican in my local city council election.
• Matter of choice.
• Because I tend to be middle of the road.
• I am a person who will vote on the person on the certain party.
• Because I want to choose to vote on the local level as I choose.
• I want to pick the candidates as a person, not for the party they are with.
• Because that’s my right. I have a right to register anyways I please.
• Because I don’t really vote for party. I’m not a party person.
• I feel more comfortable with the freedom of having no party. I feel being in a party would restrict my choices of who to vote for. Now I can just choose the person with whom I most agree.
• I really just haven’t made any decisions about either party. You know I’d rather be. I just really haven’t made any decisions about that. It really doesn’t matter to me whether it’s the Democrat or the Republican. I vote for the person. It really doesn’t matter to me which party they belong to.
• Because neither sides are doing the jobs they are supposed to do. They are working for the parties, not the people. They are not doing the jobs properly. They are not held accountable for their mistakes.
• I really don’t want to be. I registered that way just thinking I didn’t want to be affiliated with anybody when I did register.
• The two parties have their own agenda. They have been in office too long. They are supposed to represent the people and not themselves.
• I have been a Democrat. I am voting for the person and not the party.
• I can do what I want to do. I vote for the person, the person who can get the job done.
• I just felt Republican and Democrat are messing up. I like McCain. Obama didn’t follow through with what he said in his campaign speech.
• Because I like to vote for whom I think is the best person for the job.
• Because I don’t believe in voting according to what a party might think is right. All too often I see a party taking a position that anybody who would exercise common sense would not, just because of a party affiliation, and I don’t think that’s a good thing.
• Because I’m sick and tired of the good ole boy routine in Washington. I’m ready for constitution legitimate leadership and what the forefathers wanted.
• Because I vote for the person more than I do the party. I’m fed up with the philosophies of both of the parties.
• Because I like the freedom of choice.
• I like to vote for the people and not party. If I am for one party, I can’t always vote for the person I want.
• Vote for best candidate that represents my views.
• I can’t find a party I could fit in. They are just two groups to me, nothing special.
• I am independent in the way I don’t like to get stuck in a party structure.
• Because I want to vote in the primary when I want to.
• I’m disgusted with the Republican party. I was formerly Republican, but now I think the party needs to change.
• Because in the primaries, I can vote either way.
• So I can vote for whom I want, since I am so annoyed with the Democrats and Republicans and their shenanigans and corruption.
• I just got tired of the Republican nonsense. There’s one misstep after another. They’re not stepping up to the plate, no ideas either. They can’t stop any of the Democrats’ bad ideas. I’m just fed up.
• I’m an independent because neither of the parties really speaks to my issues. I like to make up my own mind, too, and I don’t like to be told who I should vote for. Sometimes I vote more Republican, other times for the Democrat, and other times for anybody but those.
• I don’t go with party lines. If a Democrat is speaking for me, I vote for them, and if a Republican speaks more for me, I vote for them.
• Because I just have philosophical reasons. I would rather not be affiliated with either party.
• Because there was a time some years ago I became disenchanted with the Democratic party. It just gives me a better balance. After the Clinton scandal, I became disenchanted.
• I want to vote for either party, not just one party.
• I didn’t like either party. Just watching the news every day proved the point. Corruption, bipartisan fighting, incompetent leadership.
• It’s more open to new ideas.
• I don’t see any reason to be affiliated. The issues are important, not the person.
• The slate of any one party is never entirely positive, so I research the individuals for the various races and then vote for them regardless of their party label. The parties presume too much. They increasingly demand loyalty or badger you, and who needs that?
• Reason is because I find that I listen to all of them, and the one I feel like fits the best is the one I vote for.
• Because sometimes the person in either party is not the person I want to vote for. I want to vote for the person I think is the best person for the office. I would never vote a straight ticket for either party.
• Just everything the Democrats do I’m against. That’s pretty much it. I vote for the person. I don’t care what party they’re for. If they’re saying what I am for, then I don’t care what party they’re for.
• Because right now I don’t care much for either party. If North Carolina had a Constitutional party, I would vote for it.
• I believe that I can do more good as an independent, expressing my annoyance with the Democrats and Republicans and the way they are ruining our country.
• Because I like to have a choice of which party I’m going to vote for. I don’t want to be bound by one political party.
• I don’t vote by Democrat or Republican. I just vote for the person and the kind of job I think they will do. Really what the major platforms are for them, and their majority qualities that they will bring to the table. What are they standing for? What are they going to fix?
• That’s the kind of guy I am. I just don’t like to be lead around by the nose, I guess.
• Mainly because I feet the Republican and Democrat had gotten people to believe in the position instead of not who can do the job better.
• Well, for one thing, it would eliminate some phone calls. I tend to be fairly liberal, but not always.
• I am a Republican.
• I have re-registered as a Republican.
• Because I moved here from South Carolina, and when they asked me to what party I belonged to, I felt it was none of their business and just registered as independent.
• Both parties are making stupid mistakes. They are not working for the people of the U.S., but for the people with money.
• So I could vote for Barack Obama and against Clinton. So I could vote in any primary I wanted to.
• This is the best way to go. Independents vote for either party, which ever will do a better job.
• Because in the primary I can’t go vote for anybody. It’s not about a party to me.
• I just got fed up with the Democrats a long time ago, so I started voting Republican, so I registered as independent. Thirty years ago, I started voting Republican. I registered independent to vote in the May primaries.
• I don’t stick with just one view. I’m not conservative or liberal.
• I like to vote for the person, not based on the party.
• So I can go either way with my vote, even though I tend to vote Republican. I like to have the choice.
• I vote for the one that will do the best job for our country.
• So that I can vote for whoever I want in the primary. I feel like I have a bigger choice.
• Because you have bad apples in every barrel, and I don’t want anyone to think I lean either way.
• I have always voted for the person, never the party.
• Because I don’t agree one hundred percent with either part and want to vote for the person and issue rather then be party affiliated and have to vote that way.
• Because the Republicans have not done anything, and I changed after being a lifelong Republican.
• Because I really feel that at various times I like the person that’s running, and I do a lot of reading.
• So I can vote person, not party.
• I can’t agree with the Democrat, and I don’t like the Republicans.
• Both parties are full of crap is the reason.
• I like to know who’s running before I decide. I really don’t vote for a party because I don’t like either one. I vote for the individual, and that could be someone who isn’t either a Democrat or a Republican.
• I believe in voting for the person and not the party.
• I really don’t want to be identified with either party.
• I don’t vote for a party. I vote for the person I want to have the office. I didn’t vote for Obama, and I won’t vote for him now. Health care is a very big issue for me. He has put too many entitlements in place for people who don’t really need them.
• To be able to vote for the person I want in the primary.
• I do not like taking sides. I vote for the person, not the party.
• Because I don’t go by party lines but by issues and the truthfulness of saying what you mean when you say it.
• I just couldn’t agree with either party. Some issues on each side were not in accordance of my beliefs. I don’t agree with gay rights or abortion. I don’t agree with gun rights. I also disagree with all the young people on Social Security when a lot of them could work.
• I feel I should have the option to vote for either party to see how their background is. I don’t think it’s right if you are registered as a Republican, you have to vote for that party. I like to vote who I feel like voting for.
• I am not a politician. I vote for the person. I am an independent leaning Republican. But, I am really more Republican since this last election.
• So I can vote for either party. I vote for the person, not the party.
• I don’t like what the Democrats are doing in all areas.
• Because I vote for the person. I don’t vote for the party.
• Because I don’t think there’s a lot of difference between each party right now.
• I honestly don’t really remember if I am or not.
• Both the Democrats and the Republicans are not doing their job, so the only hope would be the independents.
• Generally do not vote one party over the other. Rather look at person not party. Never vote just for party.
• I get to make my own mind up, and no one chooses for me.
• Because sometimes the Republicans have a good reform, so I go either way. It all depends on which one says better things and who has a better idea.
• Because sometimes I vote for Republican or Democrat. It all depends where they stands as far political concern.
• Because I don’t want to be following either party.
• I don’t like to be affiliated with Democrats and Republicans.
• Party politics are ruining the country. Everyone is against each other by party beliefs and not working together.
• I like to vote for the candidate. not the party.
• I am registered as an independent because I prefer to turn around and choose the right person for the right job.
• I was a Democrat, and basically, when the Democratic party screwed over Hillary Clinton, I left. It was the way they did it. The corrupt way they dealt with the Michigan and Florida delegates was so terrible that I just can’t vote for them again.
• I don’t want to be associated with either party.
• I don’t want to be affiliated with either party.
• Mostly because I don’t want to be bothered with people coming to my house and trying to persuade me to vote either way.
• Well, there is no hope with the Democrats, and the Republicans haven’t shown they are that much different, but they do have the opportunity.
• I can’t tell you. I thought I was registered Republican.
• I have no particular favorable opinion for either political party. I vote for the individual, not the political party.
• Because I don’t really like either party, and so at times in the primary, I may choose a Democratic ballot versus a Republican or a Republican ballot versus a Democratic. So in the primaries, I have a choice who I vote for.
• I just switched at the last election but am registered as Republican.
• I’m fiscally conservative, but I don’t think the Republican party is represented well. In general, I’m very moderate.
• Nothing is cut and dry. You can’t go by party lines because no one allows you to do that anymore. No one candidate has all of my beliefs, and I need more ability to choose.
• Because when I was eighteen, and I had the opportunity to vote against Jesse Holmes.
• Because I vote on issues, not particular candidates most of the time.
• Both parties offer a lot of goods and both have their bad sides. But by being independent, I have select-ability to make sure that elected officials will be doing right by the people.
• I don’t feel that I can stand behind either one hundred percent. I agree with Democrats sometimes, and I agree with the Republicans more. I’m just not one hundred percent Republican.
• So I can vote however I want to vote for whichever party.
• I just like being unaffiliated.
• Because I think both parties do stupid things at times. I don’t want to be tied to either party. I do lean more Democrat but vote for the person, not the party. 
• Being independent means not having to take the baloney you get from both major party candidates. I’m sort of outside the system this way, more of an observer. I don’t like all the anger, the partisanship stuff, not the tea party types, either. I like being independent, more detached.
• Because I am very displeased with the job done by the Democrats and Republicans. I am also upset with the corruption that exists in both parties.
• I like to view each candidate in each political party.
• I really don’t like either party. I vote for more of the candidate than the party they belong to. There are so many on both sides that are not good people and do not need to be in office. I vote for the one I think is the best for the job. 
• Because my parents didn’t want me to register as a Democrat or Republican. I have some conflicting views on Republican and Democratic opinions.
• I like to keep my options open when it comes to voting. I vote for the best candidate based on what they stand for, not the party they are with. 
• Because I will vote for the best person, regardless of party.
• Because I like the freedom to vote in whatever primary I choose.
• Not for either party.
• Because it depends on the issues, and I get inundated with one or the other.
• I don’t endorse either party. I want to vote for the person I think will do the best job, not the party.
• Primarily because I don’t want the telephone calls, and because I choose to vote for whichever candidate I feel is best, not for a party.
• I just like to vote for the person that I feel comfortable with, and not along party lines with someone trying to make up my mind for me. Some of my views on issues are more like Democrats, and some more like Republicans, and I hate their telling me to be pure.
• Was a Democrat. Became disappointed. Party say one thing and do another.
• Because I rarely would vote a straight ticket. I am fiscally conservative and socially liberal.
• I like to keep my options open.
• Because I’m moderately conservative, and I mostly vote Republican, but if there’s a better Democrat running, then I’ll vote for him.
• I am registered as a Republican and not an independent.
• Because I like to vote for people to see what issues they have.
• No opinion.
• Over the course of my voting career, I am not committed. I am not a hundred percent one thing, in my ideology and in my issues.
• Always try to look at individuals as candidates. Does not matter what party, just the right man for right job.
• I registered as an independent.
• I’ve never voted with any one party. I was a Republican but realized I never voted party line.
• In the primary, I can vote for someone in either party. I vote by person, not by party.
• I just don’t vote for a party, but for an individual, their level of morality and other issues.
• Because Democrats and Republicans are idiots.
• I like to be neutral.
• Because I usually like to keep my options open.
• Both parties are too partisan. Good ideas and people get lost in partisan bickering.
• Because I am unaffiliated, I like to vote the person.
• So I can choose who I want to.
• My job.
• Because I swing vote. I voted Republican in the past, and I vote Democrat now. Dislike what the Republicans did with the economy, and what the Democrats did is at least a step in the right direction.
• Because I really just vote for a person, not for a party.
• Do not agree with the Democratic party, and I like the ability to choose which primary to vote in.
• I want to be able to look at candidates as individuals and not through or as a party.
• I am conservative in some issues, mainly economic issues with my own money. But I am liberal in social issues like equality, taking care of the disabled, and poor, and minorities. I came myself from Guatemala, and we need immigration laws, and nothing is done with immigration.
• I was registered Democrat for years, and I changed it to independent, but I might change it to Republican before the election. I’m not happy with the Democratic party anymore.
• So that I will have the option to choose which primary I vote in. I am disgusted with the Republican party. I left the Republican party because I felt they had betrayed their principals. 
• I used to vote Democrat. I changed now. I’d like to have more choices, to be unaffiliated.
• I have a distaste for both major parties, which I see as essentially two sides of the same coin, with the sole objective of re-elections. It almost seems to be a structural problem in our system. That objective drives a level of partisanship at odds with the need for intelligent governance.
• My son convinced me to switch.