Apr 24, 2016 4 min read

The 11 percent of voters in Washington County and almost equal percentage in Greene County who are declared independent, nonpartisan or unaffiliated can actually vote in Tuesday’s primary election – sort of.

While independent voters in Pennsylvania can’t choose Democratic or Republican party nominees for president or state offices, there is a ballot measure they can weigh in on: the abolition of Philadelphia traffic court. A second referendum on raising the retirement age of judges will also appear but the votes will not be counted after a last-minute court ruling removing it from the ballot.

Pennsylvania is one of 11 states with closed primaries, which prohibit those without a declared party affiliation from nominating major-party candidates. For Wyatt Smith, 29, of Claysville, the ballot measure isn’t enough to bring him to the voting booth.

“I’ll be voting in the general election,” said the eight-year registered independent, “because I just think each decision needs to be taken with its own analysis. I’m not up on those items enough, so I’m concerning myself with whomever comes out of this primary race into November. The times and the parties are always changing and neither one absolutely represents my views, beliefs or ambitions.”

There are 131,205 registered voters in Washington County ahead of Tuesday’s primary. Democrats make up just over 50 percent of registrations with 66,801; Republican registrations stand at nearly 39 percent with 50,576; undeclared independents and other affiliations are 13,828. Pennsylvania census data show an approximate population of the county sitting at 208,261 as of July 2015. Greene County’s 21,669 voters’ registrations revealed nearly the same ratio of independent or third-party voters – 12 percent, or 1,846 – as 12,595 Democrats and 7,229 Republicans round out the list. Census data show Greene County has approximately 37,519 residents.

The less than one percent of third-party voters who are declared third-party members might as well be considered independent for the primary, like avowed Constitution Party member Kevin Montgomery, 45, of South Franklin Township. Montgomery hasn’t changed his third-party affiliation since 2000.

“I do indeed to plan to vote in the primary. It’s the aspect of voting rather any specific issues. It’s showing up. It’s civic discipline. But yes, I am independent in the sense that I don’t identify with either mainline party. I certainly lean conservative-libertarian but Republicans aren’t getting out of government what I would like,” Montgomery said.

But ballot measures weren’t enough for most former independents interviewed by a reporter. Some are detaching from their yearslong non-affiliation so they can cast a ballot for a candidate.

“I had been an independent for the past two years. I’ve been a poll worker for 10 years, and I’ve essentially just watched. This election I felt I needed to vote,” said Jeff Harris, 55, of East Washington, who switched his registration to Democrat.

“I have three millenials in my house, so I hear all sides, ” said Harris, who sees Sanders as a viable candidate. However, he added that he “may not be living in Pennsylvania much longer. I don’t like the state shutting out independent voters in the primary.”

Shawn Marchewka, 42, of Charleroi, shucked his decade-long status as an independent to vote as a Democrat in the primary. “I’m liking John Fetterman for Senate and Sanders for president. Both have grassroots campaigns which count on every vote. I held on to my previous affiliation to make a point, that the two-party system is not the way to go. We need more choices and less outside pressure in choosing public officials,” Marchewka said.

John Moore, 48, of Mt. Pleasant Township, said he switched from independent to Republican because he hadn’t voted in the past two presidential primaries.

“It’s not just presidential … I kind of shot myself in the foot because there are some Democrats I would vote for in local races but I’ve been mostly conservative my life. I just want to help Trump get the nod over Cruz. It’s (Trump’s) action over political principal,” Moore said.

Ray Ruffalo, 38, of Avella, said he switched from an independent to Democrat after originally registering as a Republican when he was 18, but took even more drastic action to prevent political influence on him leading up to the primary.

“I was an independent for four years; grew up in a conservative household … yet I deactivated my Facebook on April 13 out of frustration with both mainline parties and their fans. I’ll get my news and info other ways, because people were posting things constantly – on every side – that were so obviously false or exaggerated,” Ruffalo said.