A recently completed Americans Elect survey found that voters favor, 58 percent to 13 percent, having an alternative presidential ticket that is independent of the Democratic and Republican parties on the ballot in 2012. Sixty-six percent say it is important for an independent to run for president.

Generic support for the parties is relatively low, at about one quarter, the data show, and support for a generic independent is about at the same level of support. Twenty-four percent said they would vote for an independent, bipartisan unity ticket, while an almost identical number, 26 percent, said they would vote for either a generic Democratic or a generic Republican ticket.

When Barack Obama and Mitt Romney’s names were used explicitly, support for an independent was still at 25 percent, as one quarter said they would vote for “an alternative unity ticket with a Democrat and a Republican as president and vice president,” while the rest of the respondents were split evenly. Support for the two major candidates moved up to 37 percent for Obama and 38 percent for Romney, only a very modest 12- or 13-point lead over an unnamed, independent challenger.

These extraordinary findings are confirmed by other data. Sixty-one percent of Americans say they want to have an independent choice for president in 2012, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll released in early November. And in a Washington Post/ABC News poll released last month, 68 percent say they would definitely or possibly consider voting for an independent with whom they agree on most issues in 2012.