I have a question about American politics

[Canadian Socialist]

specifically, why do you have to register your party affiliation? I understand registering to vote; that's pretty standard. I'm just not sure why you have to declare your preference. It seems, to me at least, to be an invasion of privacy. I'm very interested to hear an explanation. Thanks in advance!

[deanin2008]

1. voter ID

You actually don't have to...I'm technically an independent.
(I have heard in some states that only party-identified voters can vote in their party's primary, but not sure if that's true. I always vote for the wackiest repug in the primary.)

[acmejack]

It's true

Once you mark that preference that is the primary you vote in. Can't sign a petition for a 3rd party candidate to get on the ballot either.

[Jack Rabbit]

2. You don't have to register your party affiliation

At least not in California, where I live. One may decline to state. What that means here that one will not be able to vote for partisan offices in the primary election.

I'm a registered Democrat. It's just a matter a checking a box on the registration form. To give you an idea what it means, Zell Miller is also a registered Democrat.

[Canadian Socialist]

4. Thanks for that!

What brought it up was a discussion on LBN re: Fred Phelps. He's a registered Democrat as well. My follow up question, if I may <heee>, is can a party revoke a registration?

[Bouncy Ball]

11. He MIGHT be a registered Dem in order to vote in the Dem

primaries in his state. Sometimes people do that so that they can vote for the crappy candidate in the primaries to make sure their guy (of the other party) goes up against a sucky guy.

In states where you don't register by party (such as Texas) they simply prevent you from voting in BOTH primaries. You can vote in the Dem primaries or the repuke ones, but not both.

[FreedomAngel82]

15. So question from me

The last three times I voted (the general election and twice for the mayor election in April) on the card you fill out I checked "democrat" in the pimary selection box. Does that mean when we're ready for the primaries in 2008 I get to vote for a canidate I like?

[Bouncy Ball]

19. I have no idea. I live in a state where you don't check

off any kind of party affiliation.

:shrug:

Sorry, maybe someone else can answer this question, DUers?

[DS9Voy]

29. When you check that

it means you vote in that party PRIMARY.

Which is basically "voting for the candidate you like" who you want to be on that party ticket.

Careful you don't vote in the other party primary. In some states that's a felony.

[Jack Rabbit]

22. May the party revoke registration?

No. At least I've never heard of it and I don't think it would be a good idea. Remember, there's nothing more to being a Democrat, a Republican or a Green in any state of which I am aware than just checking the box. No one is forced to pay dues to a party to which he "belongs".

But I'll tell you this story. This is about as bad as it gets.

In a congressional district near San Diego, California in 1980, a fellow named Tom Metzger won the Democratic primary to run for the seat. Most people who voted for Metzger in the primary didn't know anything about him. That usually wouldn't matter very much because the distinct had been represented for many years by Claire Burgener, a sober conservative Republican (a John McCain or Chuck Hegel type), and everybody knew Burgener would easily win the general election even if the Democrats nominated a certified saint.

However, Democrats soon discovered that the previously unknown Metzger, their candidate for Congress, was no saint. He was the Grand Dragon in the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. Needless to say, San Diego County Democrats were quite embarrassed.

The California Democratic Party had a rule at that time (and I believe still has) that required members of any local committee to support all Democratic candidates in the general election. However, seeing that the local committee was in a bit of a pickle over Metzger, the state central committee waived the rule for that congressional district. The local committee then refused to endorse any candidate for Congress that year.

If I am not mistaken, Metzger ended up getting fewer votes in the general election than he got in the primary. And they say there's no such thing as bad publicity.

[MaggieSwanson]

3. One reason (I'm sure there are many)...

During the Primaries, when each party chooses their nominee, only members of that political party may vote.

By ensuring that only Democrats (for example) select the person who will represent the party in an upcoming general election, the results are hopefully not skewed by trouble-makers from opposing parties who might wish for a "weaker" opponent.

[BooScout]

7. Not so fast.....

In Georgia you do not register a party affiliation. I have voted in many a Republican Primary just to stir up caca.:patriot:

[Bouncy Ball]

12. The only problem is you can't vote in the Dem primaries, can you?

Here in Texas, once you've voted in one primary, you can't turn around and vote in the other party's primary election, too. We don't register by party, either.

[BooScout]

17. Correct....

I can't vote in the Democratic Primary if I Vote in the Republican Primary and I can't vote in any of the runoffs for the Democratic Primary.

The good thing is, I live in the most liberal county in Georgia. So my choice for the Democratic candidate is usually a shoe-in.


I don't always do this..........but it's fun to mess with them every now and again.

[Not_Giving_Up]

5. You don't in Texas

Of course, they still figured out that the people voting at the country club (close their big houses) would be voting for them, while people like me would be voting at the VFW Hall (close to my trailer park) for the other guy. My boss at the time voted at the country club. She said they had 30-45 machines. The VFW Hall had 3.

[Mythsaje]

6. We just recently

had this come up in Washington State, where the Republican, Democratic, and Libertarian parties took it to court, saying that open primaries violated the parties "rights."

I got a real problem with that argument. Maybe I didn't want to have to register--maybe I just wanted to vote when the time came.

It pretty much soured me on the Libertarians right there. "Party of Principle" my ass.

Parties don't have "rights." Individuals have rights. Any "rights" possessed by any group arise directly out of the individual rights of its members.

I can understand the argument made by another poster, re: members of an opposite party voting in the primaries to try and sow salt in the field, but it still bothers me.

[Canadian Socialist]

8. It sounds similar to the Canadian system

but, here, to vote for a candidate, you have to be a paid-up member of the party. It's usually about $10. Then you can vote at the nominating meeting for which ever candidate you like (in that party). Whoever wins is the candidate for that party in that riding. As we don't have a long election cycle, like the States does, it happens fast! There are no set times for elections. It's pretty much whenever the government in power (be it federal or provincial) decides it is, or every 5 years. Whichever comes first. An election cycle is usually no more than 30 days.

[Mythsaje]

10. Doesn't leave much time for campaigning

but, then again, that might not necessarily be a bad thing.

Do you folks feel as if your politicians actually represent you? We have our doubts down here.

[Canadian Socialist]

16. I'm not sure I understand your question

Are you asking if my MP or MLA represents me, or are you saying that your Congressman/Senator doesn't represent you.

If the former, we have what's called First Past the Post voting. That is, the candidate with the most votes wins in that riding. The party with the most seats wins in the province or federally. This can get sticky as it means sometimes the victorious party may not necessarily have won the popular vote, especially if the ridings are mapped out incorrectly/unfairly. For example, here in Alberta, the urban vote is not worth as much as the rural vote, based on population. To clarify, a rural riding may have (and these numbers are for comparison only) 5,000 voters. A riding in Calgary may have 15,000 voters. See what I mean? My vote in Calgary is not as powerful <heeee> as some redneck out in the sticks.

[Mythsaje]

20. Okay, to make it clearer...

do you folks feel as though your elected officials care what you, the average voter, thinks about the issues? What we're dealing with is a lot of corporate involvement in policy decisions, even on the part of Democratic representatives, and, for some of us, this smells rather bad.

It's easy for us Americans--particularly liberals--to see Canada as a great political paradise where liberalism is more the norm and the corporations aren't quite as powerful. I was just wondering if Canadians have similar feelings about their own representatives.

[Canadian Socialist]

23. Thanks for the clarification!

I was pretty sure that's what you meant; it's been a long day. Now to answer your question. I can't speak for all Canadians (obviously). However, for me, my MLA (Dave Taylor-Liberal) represents me extremely well (on a provincial level). However the asshat that is my MP (Lee Richardson-CPC) does not. He's a right wing bigot, who caters to big business. I'm just sayin':rant:

[Mythsaje]

24. Okay

I know what MP is, but what's an MLA?

[Canadian Socialist]

25. Member of the Legislative Assembly

It's the provincial legislature. Here's my guy:

http://www.assembly.ab.ca/adr/adr_template.aspx?type=mla_contact&rnumber=05

:loveya:

[Mythsaje]

26. It'll probably come as no surprise

that I really have very little knowledge of Canadian politics. I'm not sure if it's because I never considered any kind of a threat, or that I've been so involved trying to figure out how OUR political system works.

Your provincial legislature is kinda like our state legislatures, then...of course, from what I understand, the provinces have a bit more autonomy than our states are allowed.

Your guy looks like he's not above doing something a bit goofy on occasion (not a bad thing, in my book).

[Bouncy Ball]

9. In Texas, you simply register to vote, no affiliation

given or required.

The way we know whose doors to knock on at canvassing time is we get voter records and look at how they voted in the last three cycles or so. The good as gold Dems are the ones who are "early voting triple Ds." You know they're hardcore.

Then you have your regular triple Ds. Then double Ds. This is sounding like a lingerie convention, isn't it? ROFL!

Anywho. Here in Texas, we don't. You can only tell by looking at past voting record.

[JVS]

14. How do you get information on how the person last voted?

I thought that stuff was supposed to be secret

[Bouncy Ball]

21. Heck, no, it's not secret.

I don't know the ins and outs of it, but it's apparently pretty easy. Just a simple database kept by the county (and state?).

You have a good point, though. I guess it's not too secret of a ballot, is it?

It's secret at the TIME you cast it, I guess. But later, it's not.

Weird, huh? But I've held the printoffs in my hand showing Ds and Rs and Is and Xs where they didn't vote. E for early voting, etc. Both parties do this.

[DS9Voy]

28. It is secret

On the voter registration rolls you sign in when you vote in the primary. You will sign in either on the democratic or republican primary.

It will NOT say who you voted for. Only what party primary you voted in.

You don't do that at all for general elections. (well you sign in, but do not reveal party affiliation)

[FreedomAngel82]

13. Where I live you don't

I live in Tennessee and this past year my brother and I registered. We didn't have to tell what party affiliation we wanted to be apart of. It's actually a good idea to do that cause of what happened last November with this rightwing group. They were registering people and at the end of the day anybody who checked "democratic" their forums got ripped apart and thrown away. This is actually safer and to make sure you get to vote. You can later join the party you want.

[Eric J in MN]

18. you don't. except in certain states, to vote in primaries (nt)

nt

[DS9Voy]

27. You don't have to

You can register anything you want. You can register "Klingon party" if you want to.

Only some states have you register party affiliation, and that is usually so you can only vote in your party primary. (no republicans voting in democratic primary for example)