Are you an independent voter? You aren't if you checked this box

[tomm2thumbs]

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-american-independent-party-california-voters-20160417-snap-story.html#nt=oft12aH-1gp2

The American Independent Party is California’s largest third party. A poll shows 73% may be in it by mistake. Are you one of them?

begin excerpt

...Even those who have lived lives near the political spotlight acknowledged that they had checked the wrong box.

When Patrick Schwarzenegger, son of the former governor, registered to vote in 2013, he selected the AIP. A family spokesman said Schwarzenegger, 22, now plans to change his registration.

So, too, will Geralyn Buscaino, wife of Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino. After being contacted by The Times, a spokesman said she mistakenly believed her voter registration was as a nonpartisan “independent.”

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, accidentally registered as an American Independent in 2007 — a fact revealed in a San Francisco newspaper column while she and Newsom were dating.

“Years ago, thinking I was registering as an independent voter, I unintentionally registered with the American Independent Party, an abhorrent group that does not align with my values in any way,” Newsom said in an email to The Times. “I encourage voters to check their own records before the upcoming presidential primary.”

Even two staff members of The Times were mistakenly registered in AIP.




(*I placed this here as it affects all voting/voters, even Republicans who may cross over to vote for a Democrat in November)

_____


My added notes:


As a reminder to those who are procrastinators:

The deadline to register or change voter registration status for the June 7 primary is May 23.

ALSO: You can check your registration online to be sure (by County):

http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/registration-status/

Take a picture with your phone and bring with you when ya vote - just in case!

[TexasProgresive]

1. Perhaps you could edit title to mention California.

19 states do not register voters by party affiliation. We don't all live in California.

[Fuddnik]

2. Florida has the same thing.

We have Independents, the party and "No Party Affiliation".

[csziggy]

3. Yes, we do but in Florida the number in "minor parties" is small

While the story is that in California three quarters of the voters registered in the American Independent Party meant to register “no party preference.”

Here is the breakdown for party affiliation in Florida:

Data as of February 29, 2016.
COUNTY REPUBLICAN - DEMOCRAT - MINOR - NONE - TOTAL
Total 4,309,564 - 4,587,070 - 335,018 - 2,874,037 - 12,105,689
http://dos.myflorida.com/elections/data-statistics/voter-registration-statistics/voter-registration-monthly-reports/voter-registration-current-by-county/

"Minor" is for minor parties which are lumped together statewide. In different counties, different minor parties vary and there are many of them. The total percentage of minor party registrations is 0.00276.

The difference I am sure is not the intelligence of the voters - Florida's voter registration form lists:

Party Affiliation
(Check only one. If left blank, you will
be registered without party affiliation)

Florida Democratic Party

Republican Party of Florida

No party affiliation

Minor party (print party name)
________________________
http://dos.myflorida.com/media/693757/dsde39.pdf

Unlike California's voter registration form that lists minor parties along with the two major ones, Florida forces the voter to know the name of the minor party they wish to be affiliated with. Certainly that reduces the number of people registering in fringe parties and leads to less confusion. Since only the two major parties have primaries the system is rigged in their favor.

When I first registered to vote in the early 1970s only Democrats had primaries in Florida so pretty much everyone registered as a Democrat. Most state and local races were decided in the primaries since the Republicans did not have a foothold in most Florida counties. At that time Florida had its first Republican governor since Reconstruction, Claude Kirk, and he was despised by many.

How things have changed!