FL: Independents Surge in Sarasota

From the Herald Tribune:

Seven of 10 new voters in Sarasota County are rejecting both the Republican and Democratic parties and signing up as independents or with minor political parties.  And the record surge of independents is not just happening here. Statewide, while the two major parties have lost more than 120,000 voters combined, independents and minor party registrations have grown by almost 120,000 since November 2008.

Elections supervisors in the region say they have never seen such a dramatic shift away from the major parties. While voters for years have been trending away from the major parties, Sarasota County Elections Supervisor Kathy Dent and her Manatee County counterpart, Bob Sweat, are convinced it has become more pronounced over the last two years, as voters become fed up with the political tone in Washington and in Tallahassee . . .