Four in Ten US Voters Reject Both Republican and Democratic Parties

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Disapproval with the US government has pushed the percentage of Americans refusing to register with the two major political parties in the United States above 40 percent for the fifth consecutive year, a poll released by Gallup revealed on Monday.

“The rise in political independence is likely related to Americans’ frustration with party gridlock in the federal government,” Gallup said of the Democratic and Republican parties. “[D]issatisfaction with the government has ranked among the leading issues when US adults are asked to name the most important problem facing the United States.”

In the Gallup poll, 42 percent of voters registered as independents, compared with 29 percent as Democrats and 25 percent as Republicans.

To analyze voting trends, Gallup explained, pollsters must determine whether independent voters lean toward the Democratic or Republican parties, giving Democrats a slight edge.

When leaners are added to registered voters, Democrats enjoy a 45- to 42-percent edge over the Republicans, Gallup added.

In the race for the US presidency, Hillary Clinton is considered the Democratic Party’s frontrunner, while Donald Trump leads the Republican field, according to the most recent polls.