More than half of all Californians do not want to be Democrats. You would hardly suspect that, however, from the fact that Democrats hold every statewide office and that, but for recent disqualifications due to scandal, two thirds of both houses of the California Legislature are Democrats. The explanation for this anomaly is that, while most Californians lack enthusiasm for the Democrats, support for any other party is even lower. Republicans command a mere quarter of the registered voters; and all the other registered parties combined total less than 5 percent of the electorate.

A curiosity is that, of the four recognized “third parties” in California, the most populous is the American Independent Party. They outnumber the Libertarians, the Greens, and the Peace and Freedom Party adherents, combined. Perhaps these Californians truly subscribe to the principles of the AIP: pro-life, vigilance for the Second Amendment, and enforcement of American immigration laws, including a border fence — and find the Republican Party’s espousal of those positions somehow insufficiently strong. However, another explanation is that, when registering to vote, some portion of the 503,955 who checked “American Independent Party” thought they were registering themselves as “Independent.” In California, there is no legally recognized way to register as “Independent.” Rather, until recently, one inclined not to support any party was listed as “Decline to State” — such a person is now classified under the title “No Party Preference.”

All it takes is 62,636 signatures, out of California’s 18,980,481 registered voters, to establish a new party. If only 13 percent of those registered under the “American Independent Party” come to realize they are actually self-misclassified, and are really independent of any political party, then a major change is California politics is possible.

Another way to the 62,636 signature mark would be if as little as 1.3 percent of all Californians currently catalogued as “No Party Preference” would instead support the creation of a truly independent label. The “No Party Preference” category is very popular in California, it’s virtually tied with the Republican Party at 25 percent of the electorate.

A new party could have the following statement of principles: “We have joined together to allow the maximum amount of freedom for Californians to participate in the electoral process. All our party requires is a dissatisfaction with the other political parties sufficiently strong that we do not wish to associate with any of them.”

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Hold off on Ruth Bader Ginsburg replacement: Tom Campbell The name of this new party would be critical. Currently, if an independent wants to run for statewide office (as Steve Poizner is currently running for insurance commissioner), the ballot has the label “No Party Preference” affixed to his or her name. That sounds like the candidate is so ambivalent about, or disconnected from, the political process as not to care to belong to any party. In reality, such candidates are far more likely to be profoundly interested in the political process, disappointed with its current offerings, and sincerely seeking a less partisan approach to government. An appealing label might be the “None of the Above” Party. Such a label does not exist currently, but it could if a new party registers with that name, supported by 62,636 signatures.

Why not the simple name “Independent Party”? That label would no doubt be challenged by the American Independent Party. State law does not permit a new party name to be “so similar to the name of an existing party so as to mislead the voters, and shall not conflict with that of any existing political party.”

Candidates could run as “None of the Above” for the Legislature as well as for statewide office. Even if only a few were elected, they could deny the Democrats the 2/3 vote they need to raise taxes and override vetoes. The Republican Party is incapable of delivering that result. But the “None of the Above” Party could, and we know that more than half of Californians would want to see that happen.

Tom Campbell is a professor at Chapman University. He served nine years in Congress, and two years in the California State Senate, as a Republican. In 2016, he switched to “No Party Preference.”