LANSING, Mich — Nearly half of Americans — 47 percent — now identify as political independents, according to a new CNN poll. That figure represents the highest level recorded in more than 10 years.
Corwin Smidt, director of public policy and research at Michigan State University, said the shift reflects a growing reluctance among Americans to align with either major party.
"Usually, for most of history, Americans are willing to say 'generally speaking I am a Democrat or Republican,'" Smidt said. "What we find now increasingly... is that people are hesitant to say that they identify with a party."
Despite the rise in self-identified independents, Smidt said actual voting patterns point in the opposite direction.
"People say they're more independent, the problem is we actually see in voting people are more partisan in their voting... they're more loyal partisans in how they vote compared to the past," Smidt said. "There's this weird sort of conflict in how people behave and how they think."
As the primary election approaches and absentee ballots become available, Lansing Election Supervisor Robin Stites said she wants all voters — regardless of party affiliation — to participate.
"I hope that people that are identifying as independents still participate in that political process, so if you don't identify with one of the major parties that you're still participating in the election and coming out to vote," Stites said.
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