Posted on 03/31/2014 6:05:50 PM PDT by Jonty30
I just have a question about the political system of the United States that I don't quite understand.
Why does it matter which party you are registered for?
What effect would it have if, for whatever reason, everybody was registered with one party or another? In Canada, one doesn't have to register with any party and we are completely unhindered from voting for whichever party we wish, so that is the basis for my question. All responses are appreciated.
In some states you have to decide which primary you are going to vote in and you register with that party a few weeks or months before the vote. You can switch parties every election if you like. If your nominee is safe you may choose to vote in the other parties election so as to attempt make sure they get the worse candidate possible.
In others you go to the primary poll and ask for a ballot for the party of your choice.
Having to buy membership before you can vote would be illegal here.
Voting in more then one primary would also be illegal. You could go to jail. Unless you are a democrat. Then vote six or more times and they will throw you a party and give you grants. (Yes, I am a tiny bit bitter about that.)
The RINOs have already decided to crush the Tea Party, so unless Cruz or Sarah get behind an independent challenge, it’s pretty much over. The American experiment down the crapper.
So when it comes to death panels or IRS targeting its easier to select your targets if you register with a party.
King George was going to crush the patriots too, how did that turn out?
For the most part, the cost is more nominal than anything else. It just keeps the slightly less-than-serious party members out.
It doesn’t raise very much money overall, but it keeps the slightly less-then-serious from joining. The exact process differs with each party.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership_convention
No party registration in Texas. However, they do keep track of which party’s primary you voted in.
The parties should be able to choose their own candidates.
In California, the democrats could cross over and choose many of the republicans.
Membership in any of the major parties here is $10/year, which guarantees a steady supply of junk mail. One trick is to join a party you don’t like, because the cost of mailing is more than the $10.
That sure sounds like our old 'poll tax' that they screamed bloody murder over...
While there is a public list of who voted in which primary, I never have to answer the question of party affiliation. The lesser evil always gets my vote.
Intelligent observation that runs afoul of institutionalized stupidity. The Dominion, on a Parliamentary system, is more prone to regular maintenance of party discipline. Here party fundraising makes political affiliation somewhat of moment amidst the peculiarities of the American system.
The American dyarchy allows for occasional 3rd party acting out as with Bull Moose TR, surface ripples that mark seismic rumblings between big power interests like the houses of Morgan & Rockefeller. (Wall Street, Banks, and American Foreign Policy by Murray N. Rothbard http://archive.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard66.html )
Generally the big power interests keep a firm grip on governmental influence. Carroll Quigley, Bill Clinton’s favorite Georgetown Professor, reported in Tragedy & Hope that the House of Morgan ran both parties’ candidates in two elections, though separated by 40 years.
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THE whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes being corrected. Even when the revolutionist might himself repent of his revolution, the traditionalist is already defending it as part of his tradition. Thus we have the two great types—the advanced person who rushes us into ruin, and the retrospective person who admires the ruins. He admires them especially by moonlight, not to say moonshine. Each new blunder of the progressive or prig becomes instantly a legend of immemorial antiquity for the snob. This is called balance or mutual check, in our Constitution. — G.K. Chesterton: ‘The Blunders of Our Parties,’ Illustrated London News, April 19, 1924
It matters for primaries. Republicans decide the Republican nomination, Democrats the Democrat nomination (in most places — there are some “open primary” states.) In the general election it matters not at all. (Unless you’re a poll watcher — most states require that there be at least one Republican and one Democrat poll watcher at a polling place.)
Nor does it here.
I’m registered as Non-affiliated in my state’s voting system which means I’m an Independent. There’s no particular party with that name in my state of PA so there’s no official Independent candidate in the Primary elections so I can’t vote during the primaries unless there’s a question on the ballet, such as Do you vote to institute a sales tax increase to fund the Emergency Medical Service - then I can vote for that initiative and nothing else. You have to register as something in order to vote in the General Elections held in the fall, when I can vote for anyone on the ballot or even write in a name.
In others you go to the primary poll and ask for a ballot for the party of your choice.
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That’s the way it is in Texas. No citizen has to commit to a specific political party to register to vote.
Problem in Texas is the open voting, where folks of one party can vote for worst candidate of the other party; knowing that person would not be able to win against their favorite.
I’m often amazed when talking heads on TV say they are “registered” Independents (O’Reilly), Conservative (Hannity), GOP or Dem. ...Why does anyone have to express their political leanings before they can vote???
Good question, Jonty30.
It really helps when deciding whether to watch Fox News or MSNBC
when all this nonsense started - I changed my registration to dem just to screw with their primaries - Im in NY so my vote as a pub doesn’t matter anyway...and I get the satisfaction od giving them an earful when they poll on the phone
Voter fraud. The more registered “D”, the easier the voter fraud. They know certain segments are unlikely to vote. Especially the dead ones, the felons, those lacking citizenship, those in elderly homes, those who are under state care, etc. If there are 1000 registered Dem voters in a population of 2000, and 1500 vote D, and there is 150% voter turn out, something looks fishy. That is what happened in many precincts in 2012 election.
That is why Holder deosn’t want to scrub the registered voters lists or require ID’s.
Crossover voting in primary elections (when the parties choose their candidates for the general election) leads to opposing voters trying to choose the other party’s weakest candidate. In the general election, you may vote either party or split your ticket.
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