Independents’ minds won’t be changed – they think like partisans

If, however, people who say they are independent do have some preference for one party over the other, then they are not "up for grabs." Once people form a preference for one party, it becomes notoriously difficult to persuade them otherwise. In fact, people’s preference for one party over the other can lead them to dismiss messages from the opposing party no matter how compelling or well-thought out these messages may be. If Americans are merely hiding their party preferences beneath the label "independent," it is unlikely that they are open to being swayed by the party with the most convincing agenda.

As a result, even if the majority of people calling themselves independent voted for a particular candidate, it is difficult to conclude that this was due to the fact that this candidate’s message resonated with independent voters. Rather, it is possible that more independents voted for that candidate because independents were members of that candidate’s party all along.

Myth 6: Since independents are mostly secret partisans, we shouldn’t care about them

Given that so many independents prefer a party, and that they almost always vote for that party, one might wonder whether anyone should really care about independents. Certainly, journalists and political commentators could probably worry a little less about whether candidates are doing enough to reach independents at election time.