Independents make up nearly a third of all registered voters in Arizona. Too bad they don't know their own strength.

After I suggested in print recently that independents could have a moderating effect on the Legislature by voting in the primary, I got calls telling me independents are barred from primaries.

No, they aren't. "Independents can vote in the primaries," says Secretary of State Ken Bennett.

"They should be informed of that," says Steve Lynn, Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission chairman.

A registered independent, Lynn says the lack of understanding among independents about their voting rights is a significant problem.

Since July, both the Republican and Democratic parties lost voters, according to October figures from Bennett's office. Those who register as no party preference - independents - rose by 17,992. Independents make up 915,981 of the state's 3.1 million registered voters. Republicans are at 1.13 million; Democrats number 1.04 million. It looks to me like disgust with a system in which ardor for ideology - or a Grover Norquist no-tax pledge - is seen as virtuous. Lynn points out that some independents opt out of the Republican or Democratic parties because they feel neither goes far enough right or left. They might not want to engage in either primary.

But in many districts, registration is so lopsided that the race is decided in the primary. For independents, Lynn says, "it's not as effective or wise to wait until the general election to vote."

If voters sit out the primary by choice, that's fine. But if independents stay away because they think they are prohibited, that's disenfranchisement of a growing number of voters.

Lynn says he is the kind of independent voter who vacillates between the options offered by the two parties, depending on the issue. This rational approach probably reflects the attitude of many independents. It could result in more centrist candidates.

Arizona needs moderates in the Legislature as badly as it needs new revenue to get through this economic crisis. Unfortunately, moderates do not fare well in primaries, which are dominated by party extremists. That's where independents could make a difference.

Lynn says the League of Women Voters has indicated an interest in helping educate independent voters about their rights. And it isn't just voters who need to learn that independents are only barred from presidential primaries. Lynn says independents have been turned away by poll workers.

Raising awareness before the August state primary is a huge undertaking. Bennett says federal money might be available for voter education.

But public money is scarce. Arizona could use a few civic-minded sponsors with deep pockets and an understanding that engaging voters isn't about parties. It's about people. As in: We, the people.

Reach Valdez at linda.valdez@arizonarepublic.com.