Independents Left Out of Primaries
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Eleven minutes after the hour. All this week, we're taking a hard look at our nation's government, the frustrating problems and the solutions. And according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, just 26 percent of respondents say they trust the federal government to do what's right. For state government, the number rises slightly to 33 percent. And again proving all politics is local, for local government, the trust level is much higher, just over 50 percent -- 52 percent of people say they trust their local leaders. So, the majority do trust local government to do the right thing.</s>CHETRY: Yes. A different story when it comes to federal and state governments. And it's that lack of trust that's firing up an increasingly powerful group of voters, the independents. They're, of course, courted heavily by both parties. Yet as Casey Wian shows us, independents are often being denied the right to vote when it really matters.</s>CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This mother and son rarely see eye to eye politically. He is an unabashed liberal, she is more conservative. But now, Jacob Carr and Nancy Corradini could find themselves in the same boat, as registered independents -- which could essentially rob them to the right to vote in some very important elections.</s>JACOB CARR, DISILLUSIONED VOTER: I was one of the people who voted for Ralph Nader.</s>WIAN: In 2008, Jason registered as a Democrat to vote for Barack Obama. Today, he is disillusioned and disappointed.</s>CARR: I guess, throughout the year, my hope flame has been dwindling and dimming.</s>WIAN: Would you consider becoming an independent and decline- to-state voter again?</s>CARR: Yes, you know, I'm definitely considering that or even maybe registering as some -- like a third party.</s>WIAN: Nancy beat her son to the punch. She became an independent two years ago, after determining her party just didn't speak for her anymore.</s>NANCY CORRADINI, INDEPENDENT VOTER: Sometimes, it's difficult to be a moderate Republican in the Republican Party. They call you "Republican in Name Only."</s>WIAN (on camera): RINO?</s>CORRADINI: Yes, I heard that buzz word the other night. RINO, I thought it was so insulting. I emotionally became detached from the Republican Party.</s>WIAN: But Nancy never considered that going independent would actually take away her right to vote in some key elections, primaries. Here in California, political parties get to decide before each and every election whether to allow independents to vote. (voice-over): Joseph Holland is the elections registrar for Santa Barbara County.</s>JOSEPH HOLLAND, SANTA BARBARA COUNTY CLERK: Elections are not simple. They're -- every election is different. They -- believe it or not -- they do change from election to election.</s>WIAN: That can leave independents like Nancy pretty confused. But that's not all. (on camera): On a local level or even on congressional races, primaries are often where the key political decisions are made. Say you're an independent living in a heavily Democratic district. If you can't vote in a Democratic primary, you're not going to have much influence over who wins the general election, it's probably going to be a Democratic candidate you had no role in choosing. (voice-over): In the 2008 presidential primaries, independents in 17 states and the District of Columbia were shut out of some crucial primaries. Those voters had no say at all in determining the major party candidates.</s>JASON OLSON, INDEPENDENTVOICE.ORG: We are second-class citizens when it comes to political representation and participation.</s>WIAN: Jason Olson is an independent voter activist pushing to change the law in California. This June, there's a proposition on the state's primary ballot to eliminate party primaries entirely.</s>OLSON: All the candidates were on the same ballot. All the voters, regardless of party, vote for the best candidate, and then the top two vote getters will then go on to a run-off style election. So, there would be no more segregating voters by political parties and excluding independents.</s>WIAN: That's how it's done in Washington state and Louisiana. In other states, party officials are trying to move things in the other direction. In Arizona, for example, the Republican Party is trying to close its primary so only registered Republicans can vote. Still, Olson sees momentum moving in his direction.</s>OLSON: We have a real shot to have independents kind of crack over the doors, if you will, and start forcing some change.</s>WIAN: And newly independent, Nancy Koradini, agrees.</s>NANCY KORADINI, NEWLY INDEPENDENT: I think it's going to snowball, it's not going to stop.</s>WIAN: Casey Wian, CNN, Santa Barbara, California.</s>ROBERTS: You know, somebody sent us a snarky e-mail this morning saying, well, of course, independents can vote, they are party primaries. Which is just, I mean, okay, some of them are party primaries. But it's just too simplistic an argument to make as in many states independents can vote, in some states like the state of Virginia, everybody can vote, so republicans can play in the democratic primary, as well as independents, and vice versa.</s>CHETRY: The way elections are won, is that somebody gets more people to cross over or gets the independents onboard.</s>ROBERTS: So, it's not a one size fits all thing. Be snarky if you want, but that's the name of the game. Sixteen minutes after the hour. The Senate takes up a job spill with the help of some Republicans. Five of them weigh in, our Christine Romans is "Minding Your Business" for us this morning. Stay with us.