Acknowledgement: This post was published by the Hood River News (Letters to the Editor, Oct 6, 2018), under the heading “Non-affiliated will decide election.”
You are politically independent. You are registered to vote in Oregon. Your voter registration should say “Non-affiliated.” Why? Because there is a small party named “Independent Party of Oregon” or IPO; those affiliated with that party register as “Independent.” Confusing? Yes.
To politically independent voters: When registering to vote, please double check that you register as “Non-affiliated.” Many already did: In Oregon’s Second Congressional District (OR2), 33 percent of registered voters are “Non-affiliated,” second only to Republicans (34 percent) and ahead of Democrats (26 percent).
To the leaders of IPO: Current times require political clarity, and correct terminology matters. Please consider changing name: Yours is a misnomer, and unnecessarily confusing.
To all OR2 voters: Jamie McLeod-Skinner’s platform transcends partisanship. She is the nominee of the Democratic Party. She is also endorsed by the IPO, over its own formal nominee. John Lamoreau (former local elected officer and former active Walden supporter) endorses her as an independent leader who will work across party lines for the benefit of our state and nation, in the footsteps of legendary Senators Mark Hatfield and Wayne Morse.
Non-affiliated voters like me will ultimately determine this election. Our vote matters! I see Jamie as the clear choice towards a return to civility, social justice and freedom of expression as the cornerstones of a caring, democratic, substantive America. She will be a breadth of (beyond-partisanship) fresh air in Congress.
Please join me in voting McLeod-Skinner.
— Antonio Baptista
Outside the box 
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