Maine Public interviews Brewer for report on independent voters
Maine Public spoke with Mark Brewer, a political science professor at the University of Maine, for the report, “Analysts say Maine independent voters aren’t all that independent.” Most independent voters do lean either toward the Republican or Democratic party, and they tend to vote accordingly in general elections, the report states. Brewer said this growing perception — that voters who shun political parties are also highly objective — has been shown in studies to be inaccurate. “We have this image of the highly informed, highly educated, independent voter who tracks things carefully and makes up their own mind. That’s a myth,” he said. Brewer added there are some true independent voters who do not lean toward either major party, but he said they are small in number.