I was dreaming of New Hampshire earlier this week. What would it be like to live there? I'm no fan of frigid temperatures and snow. But the Granite State knows how to treat independents — voters not affiliated with any political party. In the District, we’re lepers. You'd think folks like me would get more respect in a state where citizens and officials rant ad nauseum about their nonvoting status in Congress and rush to plaster the “No taxation without representation” slogan on everything, including babies, buses and historic buildings.

The cheekiness of local elected leaders astounds. There they were on Wednesday telling New Hampshire state legislators to upbraid their congressional representatives for not supporting the effort to give the nation’s capital a vote. At least New Hampshire independents, who are more than 40 percent of registered voters, are permitted to participate in the presidential primary.

Not in the District — though independents are 17 percent of registered voters. In raw numbers, there are twice as many of us as there are Republicans: 66,279 independents to 29,790 Republicans, according to the Sept. 30, 2007, report released by the D.C. Board of Elections. I won't even mention the paltry number of Statehood/Green Party members.

There is much to celebrate about an open primary. An independent voter could come to the polls on Election Day and select a party’s primary in which to participate. Just look at election results in New Hampshire. Ask Sen. John “Mac is back” McCain about the resurrecting power of independents.

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Under the current system in the District, if registered independents want to vote in the Feb. 12 presidential primary election, they have to reregister, this time selecting a party. The deadline to do that — and for all registration — is Monday. Failing to take such action, an independent voter is left to wait until the General Election in November. By then, the fun is over.

There are, however, reports that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Republican turned independent, may jump in if a centrist isn’t chosen.

Consolation prize, anyone?

Many District residents have lobbied for open primary elections. The process could enhance democracy. But Democrats are no friends of democracy; the party bypassed for this presidential primary the standard process used to qualify candidates for the ballot. They worry, too, that a shift to open primary elections would break the chokehold they have on local politics.

D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray understands my suffering: “We ought to have as many people participate as we can.”

He doesn’t say whether he is willing to introduce legislation. It may be too late for this presidential primary. But local elections are coming.

Closed primaries are so 20th century. We independents have been working so hard to get attention; it's not easy. Someone should do something.

Where’s my handkerchief?