The Independent Party is looking for a few good men and women to help us organize local meetups around the state. If you are interested in attending a meetup, or helping us host one in your part of the state, please contact Party Secretary, Sal Peralta at 503-437-2833 to help coordinate an event.

Herman Welch, Waldport Mayor and lifelong Republican recently joined the Independent Party of Oregon, making him the first Independent Party member to hold public office in the state of Oregon.

Welch recently announced his switch to the Independent Party in a letter to the Oregonian:

Mayor no longer Republican

The Oregonian Feb. 22, 2009

At the age of 74 and after 53 years, I have finally quit the Republican Party and have re-registered as an Independent voter.

Most of us understand that the president's economic recovery program is not perfect and perhaps has flaws. But we also understand that our country is in the midst of a very serious crisis. The president understands the gravity of the problem and is trying to do something about it.

The Republicans in Congress (except for the three who put their country first and set aside party ideology by voting for the stimulus bill) have offered no constructive economic recovery ideas except to continue tax cuts for the rich (if any are left) and offer only worn-out ideology.

I still believe in having political parties that engage in vigorous constructive dialogue on economic issues, but as President Obama said recently, "When the town is burning you don't check party labels. Everybody needs to grab a hose."

Other Independents to hold local office are Robert Brundage of Sublimity, Soso Nedjeljko of Butte Falls, and Wayne Rofinot of Warren. Other prominent Independent Party members include former State Rep. Tony VanVliet and former Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey.

From November '07 through November '08 the Independent Party grew by more than 33,000 new members compared to roughly 10,000 for the state's GOP.

An analysis of the Independent Party's growth since October 2007 shows that roughly 40 percent of the party's new members were previously non-affiliated voters or members of a major party who have re-registered as Independents.

Independent Party caps off historic gains in voter rolls with historic election night.

The Independent Party of Oregon capped off 2 years of unprecedented growth -- registering more than 41,000 new members in 22 months -- with the most successful election in state history for a minor political party.

The Independent Party became the first minor political party in Oregon since 1887 to have its cross-nominated candidates win statewide office. The party's statewide cross-nominees were Jeff Merkley for U.S. Senate and Ben Westlund for State Treasurer, both of whom vigorously sought the Independent Party's nomination (in addition to their Democratic Party nominations). The last statewide officeholder to win the cross-nomination of a minor political party was Sylvester Pennoyer, who was elected Governor after receiving the nominations of the Democratic Party and the People's Party.

Kate Brown, the new Secretary of State, also sought and received the endorsement of the Independent Party of Oregon.

Joel Haugen, the Independent Party's nominee for U.S. House of Representatives in Oregon's 1st Congressional District, received 18% of the vote, one of the strongest showings for a minor party candidate seeking congressional office in Oregon history.

State Representative Vicki Berger (House District 20), a Republican who was cross-nominated by the Independent Party, was one of the few Republicans in a targeted race to retain her seat.

IPO candidates also fared amazingly well when facing major party candidates one-on-one. Pete Belcastro (I) collected 39% of the vote against Peter Buckley (D) in House District 5 (Jacksonville-Ashland). Terry Rilling (I) received 39% of the vote against Chuck Riley (D) in House District 29 (Hillsboro-Forest Grove). Keith Wangle (I) earned 29% of the vote against Dennis Richardson (R) in House District 4 (Grants Pass-Central Point). Both Buckley and Richardson are in prominent party leadership positions in the Legislature.

August 22, 2008 - The Marion County Circuit Court, Judge Paul Lipscomb, today ruled against the Independent Party of Oregon (IPO) in the lawsuit described below in this post. The court denied the preliminary injunction sought by the IPO and others. This does not end the case, but the denial of the preliminary injunction means that all candidates who have accepted nominations both from the IPO (or any minor party) and by a major party (Democratic or Republican) will be identified on the November 2008 ballot solely as the candidate of the major party.

"We believe that the Oregon statute allows each candidate to have up to two party labels on the ballot," said IPO state chair (and attorney in the case) Linda Williams. "We are disappointed that the information conveyed to voters on the November ballot will be restricted to only one party per candidate."

• Constitution of the Independent Party of Oregon
• Bylaws of the Independent Party of Oregon

The Independent Party is the only political party to grow in membership in Oregon during the first half of 2007. This screen shot from our google maps-based campaign software shows where most of our members live