The Independent View: Louisiana could have an Independent Party in 2015

A new political party could be on the horizon for Louisiana.

In 2014, the legislature removed the legal ban on establishment of the independent party.

There are approximately 79,000+ voters who wrote in “Independent” on the voter registration forms, in the blank that asks the applicant to choose a party.

It only takes 1,000 people registered for someone to file the official documents with a $1,000 filing fee.

Qualified parties in Louisiana can’t have their own presidential primary unless they have registration of 5%. Currently, the registration number is only about half-way to qualifying for its own presidential primary.

But whether those who self-identify as independents will consider themselves members of an independent party is another thing, Secretary of State Tom Schedler said.

“Some people are saying, ‘I want flexibility. I don’t want to be characterized as a Republican or Democrat,’” he said.

But whether either of those factors bode well for an independent party isn’t clear.

“There are a lot of people not inclined to be a part of the Democratic or Republican party. With an increasing number of people who are unaffiliated, there’s a group of people ripe for the picking,” said LSU political scientist Robbie Hogan.

Hogan noted that for candidates in certain election districts, it might be easier “for an ideological moderate to carve out a niche” with independent registrants.

“Maybe it’s a way to avoid this national partisanship that’s creeping into local and state elections. It’s saying, ‘I’m neither of those,’ ” Hogan said.

Schedler said Louisiana voters have shown an ability to elect non-party-affiliated candidates. He noted legislators have been elected more than once without a Democratic or Republican label. He said people vote for individuals who are respected in their communities.

Democratic Party Executive Director Stephen Handwerk said the most prominent Democratic vs. no party race this past year was the Shreveport mayor’s race, where the Democrat handily won.

“Running as an independent cuts the candidate off from accessing party resources like the voter file and coordinated campaign activities,” Handwerk said. “Voters want to understand and identify with candidates, and running as an independent only adds to the questions voters have.”

State Republican Party Executive Director Jason Doré said a lot of people like to consider themselves independent and not tied to a party. But they still want candidates to take stands on issues, he said.

“They are affiliated with a certain set of principles and beliefs in a party platform,” Doré said. “As an independent, the voter doesn’t really know what you stand for.”

Independent would become the sixth recognized party in Louisiana, joining the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, Green and Reform parties.