Minnesotans vote in record numbers compared to the rest of the country and they’re pretty darned independent too. That’s good.

A recent Minnesota Poll by the StarTribune showed 38 percent of Minnesotans consider themselves independent, a number that beats both the number of those who identify with the Republican or Democratic parties. Some 24 percent of those polled identify themselves as Republicans and 29 percent say they’re Democrats.

This is the kind of news that probably drives political party leaders crazy. It’s a pretty large rejection of the way they are doing business, or selling their product. The parties are, in effect, “losing customers.” This loss of market share, of course, is usually related to an outdated product or bad service.

Both parties tend to gravitate toward their extreme elements, and therefore create a product that is not a good fit for these independent-minded people who more and more don’t vote the party line but vote for common-sense bipartisan solutions. Money, of course, plays a role in creating these parties that tend toward the extreme. High-powered financiers not only control their own contributions but the “bundled” contributions of hundreds of others.

Independent thinkers within these parties are usually not rewarded in any significant way. In fact, they often have their arms twisted to make a vote with their party instead of a vote for their constituency.

It should be telling to political marketers that those who declare themselves “independents” outnumber those in either party in seven of the 10 last Minnesota polls taken on the subject.

A few interesting “independent” notes for the Mankato area. For Senate Dist. 23 that includes Mankato and North Mankato, their allegiance for governor for three races from 1998 to 2006 has been Independence, Republican, Democrat. For last two U.S. Senate elections it has been Republican by a nose, Democrat by a large margin.

For Senate Dist. 24, which includes, rural parts of Blue Earth County, Watonwan, Faribault and Waseca counties, the record has been pretty independent as well. The last three gubernatorial elections, voters favored the Independent once and Republicans twice, but in 2002 by only two points over the independent candidate Tim Penny.

For Senate Dist. 25 that includes Le Sueur and Sibley counties, the independence of voters again remains apparent. They voted in the last three governor’s races: Independent, Republican and Republican slightly.

Of course, officials from both major parties tried to downplay the significance of independent voters in the latest poll. But that’s only because they know more and more voters are calling the shots and they will have to adjust their party fundraising and strategies to cater to these voters who care about the issues more than allegiance to a party.