akenaton, for the purpose of this discussion, I would be considered an "independent". In my state, we are called "unaffiliated", but it's the same thing. We are people who vote for candidates and not parties. We don't have any party affiliation and we vote for whomever we feel would be the best person to do the job for which we are voting. There is an "independent" party here in the US, but for the purpose of this discussion, they are not the ones who are being referenced when the term "independent" is used.