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WHO ARE INDEPENDENTS?
How Many Voters Are Independent or Unaffiliated in Maryland?
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As of April 2025, more than 22% of Maryland voters are registered as Unaffiliated — and that number continues to grow.
In 2023, fewer than 21% were unaffiliated. Another 2% of Maryland voters are affiliated with minor political parties.
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Among new voter registrations in April 2025, over 36% chose to register as unaffiliated — showing that more Marylanders are stepping away from party affiliation altogether.
Many independent-minded voters, however, feel forced to register as Democrat or Republican simply to vote in Maryland’s closed primary elections.​
Who Are Independent Voters?
Nationally, according to Gallup (2016):
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30% of African Americans
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41% of Latinos
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43% of Asians
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44% of Millennials
consider themselves Independent.
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These numbers show that political independence is growing across generations and communities.
Why Do Voters Choose to Be Independent or Unaffiliated?
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A 2018 survey by Independent Voting (including 118 Maryland voters) found:
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Two-thirds said they were unaffiliated because they believed the two major parties prioritized party interests over the people's interests.
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More than half said they wanted to vote for the person, not the party.
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42% felt that neither Democrats nor Republicans represented them.
Many Independents feel disenfranchised because unaffiliated voters are excluded from Maryland’s primary elections—where critical candidate selections happen.
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This exclusion leads to frustration and lower participation rates among unaffiliated voters in general elections.
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As one Independent put it:
"The major parties don't want those outside their party choosing their candidate, but they sure as heck want you to vote for their candidate in the general election."
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Because of this, unaffiliated voters are often less likely to vote in general elections, feeling discouraged from validating a process they were excluded from.
​Why Don't Independents Just Affiliate with a Party?
Some do — temporarily — just to vote.
But as of April 2025, nearly 957,228 Maryland voters chose not to affiliate, standing by their principles.
Reasons include:
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A belief that voting should not require party affiliation.
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A desire for independence from party control.
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A commitment to broader representation.
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A belief that it makes government work better.
What Has Been Done to Change This?
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In 2019, several bills were introduced in Maryland’s General Assembly to open primaries to independents or allow same-day party affiliation changes.
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Before hearings, we surveyed Maryland independent voters:
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About half said they would affiliate temporarily in order to vote in primaries.
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The other half said they would refuse to affiliate at all, insisting:
“We shouldn’t have to affiliate with any party in order to exercise our right to vote!”
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Unfortunately, none of these bills advanced out of committee.
One legislator admitted they didn’t want to “spend money appealing to independent voters.”
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This confirms research showing that in closed primary systems:
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Candidates are less responsive to unaffiliated voters.
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Lawmakers are less likely to work across party lines.
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Polarization increases, and the voices of independents remain unheard.
What Do Maryland Independents Want?
According to the 2018 Independent Voting survey:
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78% believe both major parties should open presidential primaries to unaffiliated voters.
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Maryland independents want what all voters deserve —
a fair chance to participate in the democratic process without being forced into a political party.