Minor parties, nonaffiliated voters to play larger role in future elections nonaffiliated and minor party voters may determine who wins in Oregon

By Mark Brown
March 28, 2008

Although Oregon’s political leanings haven’t made a major shift in the past four years, a small gust of party-affiliation change has blown across the state.

A decline in the overall percentage of voters registered as Republicans in the state over a four-year span has been nearly equaled by an increase in the percentage of Oregonians registered as nonaffiliated and minor party voters.

According to voter registration statistics released by the Secretary of State on Friday, the Independent Party of Oregon now has more than 12,500 members, becoming the 4th largest political party in Oregon. The growth of the party, which is just year old, is unprecedented for an Oregon-based minor political party. The Independent Party will almost certainly become Oregon's third largest party (and largest minor party) by the end of March 2008, if not sooner.

January '08 Minor party registration

Libertarians.......14,285
Independents.......12,597
Pacific Greens.....11,104
Constitution....... 2,967
Working Families... 1,588

The Independent Party remains the only political party to gain members in Oregon during the last 12 months.

The Oregonian January 22, 2008

Americans may have become increasingly disillusioned with politics, but one new political party in Oregon is growing at a brisk pace.

The Oregon Independent Party reported this week that it now has more than 10,000 registered voters. That's a drop in the bucket compared to the state's 753,212 registered Democrats and 684,285 registered Republicans, but still an impressive accomplishment for an organization that was first certified as a minor political party in January, 2007.