IVN conducted a survey to determine whom independent-minded voters are supporting among the current presidential candidate field. Respondents were asked two questions: (1) If the presidential election were held today, for whom would you vote? (2) What political party, if any, do you think best represents your views?
The poll was promoted to IVN readers who largely self-identify as independent-minded voters. Notably, 51% of IVN’s Facebook readers are over the age of 55.
A total of 5,059 respondents participated in the survey. IVN used an approval voting method, which allows voters to choose as many candidates as they want.
IVN is a publication of the Independent Voter Project, a 501(c)4 non-profit organization and the Foundation for Independent Voter Education, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Why is this significant? Independents will be a significant voting bloc in 2016. And they want Bernie by a Y U G E margin, if we are to believe this poll.
Polling data from the Pew Research Center shows more Americans now identify as independents than as Democrats or Republicans. The percentage of people self-identifying as independent was 39% in 2014. The number for Democrats is 32% and for Republicans it is 23%.
As of June 2015, the number of self-identifying independents has grown to 45 percent — just 2 points shy of the number of Democrats and Republicans COMBINED.
An"approval voting method" is a single-winner voting method that allows voters to choose any number of candidates. The candidate chosen the most wins.
Approval Voting Highlights
More expressive
No vote splitting or spoilers
You can never get a worse result by voting for your favorite
Significantly fewer spoiled ballots
Ballots look the same, except the rules indicate that you may vote for any number of candidates
Results are still easy to understand: a simple list of the candidates along with how many votes they received
Tends to elect candidates who would beat all rivals head-to-head
Tends to elect more moderate winners
Alternate candidates get a more accurate measure of support
If we want to retain the White House in 2016, Bernie is the candidate we should be getting behind.
Not to mention, a new poll released by Chegg Media Center on Tuesday finds Sanders the overwhelming favorite on college campuses, drawing 59 percent of the student vote, whereas HRC only gets 14 percent of university students.
Sanders has the highest favorability rating among Democrats at 62 percent, while Clinton is seen as the most unfavorable, with 47 percent of students expressing disapproval of the former secretary of State.
The same poll conducted in late June, about a month after Sanders announced his White House bid, found that students preferred Clinton by a 40 to 26 percent margin.
The enthusiasm is clearly with Sanders. And the more voters see and know about Sanders, the more they prefer him over Clinton.
Don't blow it Democrats! If they were smart they would get behind Sanders, and sweep in a new congress on Sander's coat tails.