After being registered as a Republican voter for 50+ years, I have switched my registration to Independent. I do not feel that I have left the Republican party, but that the Republican party has left me. In order to belong to the GOP in 2021 Kevin McCarthy, Donald Trump, et al say that I must believe the Big Lie about voter fraud. I have worked as a poll worker for 25+ years first in Essex County and for the last 15 years in Sussex county and have never seen any fraud that affected the outcome of any election.
As both a social liberal and a fiscal conservative, my allegiance to the Republicans has always been problematic. Rush Limbaugh told me about 25 years ago that there was no room in the party for me. But for 35+ years I was also a Wall Street Capitalist so I have mostly voted Republican.
What I seem to be seeing today is a suicidal rear guard action by a bunch of old white men who are trying to hang on for one more election cycle. They have introduced over 400 voter suppression bills in 40+ states. The net result of that effort so far has been to alienate all non-white voters and to further narrow their base. This does not sound like a smart strategy for a party that has lost the popular vote in 5 of the last 6 presidential elections.
The Republican Party is now free to wander in the wilderness without me.
Wayne E. Daniel
Green Township