Residents of Essex County aren't sure what to make of the Tea Party movement, but they are not necessarily committed to the two-party system, either.
A quick straw poll of neighborhood residents in Millburn Township in Essex County revealed a mix of party affiliations (or lack thereof) generally in accord with the voter registration statistics. Republicans slightly dominated the sample, as they do in District 11, with Democrats a close second. But unaffiliated voters make up a substantial portion of the population, and this would be the most fertile ground for the Tea Party Movement to recruit.
Impressions of the Tea Party are split between favorable and unfavorable, with some voters not sure of what to make of it. (One participant associates the Tea Party with Christine O'Donnell, the candidate in the Delaware Senate race, especially after she released the ad saying, "I am not a witch.")
Most voters, by far, make up their minds for whom they plan to vote before they go to vote, or else they don't vote at all. This raises the question of whether the "100-feet rule" makes much difference, except to encourage respect for the neutrality of the polling place.
The answers to the Examiner.com Elections 2010 Straw Poll are listed below. (The slideshow contains these distributions in pie-chart form.)
Are you registered to vote, and if so, how are you affiliated, if at all?
- Unaffiliated: 20 percent
- Republican: 40 percent
- Democratic: 30 percent
- Not registered: 10 percent
Did you/do you plan to vote a straight party line?
- Yes: 50 percent
- No: 30 percent
- Do not plan to vote: 10 percent
- Not applicable: 10 percent
What is your impression of the Tea Party movement?
- Favorable: 30 percent
- Unfavorable: 40 percent
- Not sure: 20 percent
- Not applicable: 10 percent
Did you/will you vote strictly according to a plan that you formed ahead-of-time?
- Yes: 70 percent
- No: 10 percent
- Not applicable: 10 percent
- Did not vote: 10 percent
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