Quick questions on registering to vote...

[Dustin Kesselberg]

I have not registered to vote yet and I have heard that if you are registered with a specific party you can only vote in that parties primary elections and are unable to vote for any other parties primary elections. For instance, If you are a Republican you can only vote in the republican primary elections and not the democratic primary elections. Is this true? Does this mean Independents can not vote in any primary?

Secondly,If you registered as a Democrat and want to Switch to Republican or Vise versa..Is it possible to do this? How often can you do this? How often can you switch parties?

Thirdly, Is it when you register to vote you decide which party you will be a member of? How does that work exactly?



Thanks

[Darth Rotor]

I have not registered to vote yet and I have heard that if you are registered with a specific party you can only vote in that parties primary elections and are unable to vote for any other parties primary elections. For instance, If you are a Republican you can only vote in the republican primary elections and not the democratic primary elections. Is this true? Does this mean Independents can not vote in any primary?
Thanks
Yes. I don't vote in primaries here in Texas, and do date it hasn't mattered.

You need to contact your local registrar to get details on party affiliation switching.

DR

[Dustin Kesselberg]

No one can answer my specific questions?

[Foolmewunz]

Afraid you're going to need 50 experts unless you specify a state.
Voter registration (even in Presidential elections) is controlled by the states. In some states you have to be a party member to vote in that party's primaries, and in others you can cross over.

[Cylinder]

No one can answer my specific questions?

Which state? In Arkansas - an open primary state - I can show up on primary day and ask for a Democratic ballot even though I am a registered Republican.

Wiki lists the open primary states as Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

In closed primary states, voters need to change party affiliation to reflect the primary in which one wishes to participate. I doubt any restriction on the number of changes or time period between changes would pass Constitutional muster but I bet their is a deadline to make the change before the primary election at whatever date the final official roll is compiled.

Louisiana has a run-off election instead of primaries so two Ds often appear on the ballot in the same general election.

[Dustin Kesselberg]

I'm speaking of the National elections. Not state elections.

[Foolmewunz]

Interesting topic, so I did some googling.


http://www.ok.gov/~elections/voterreg.html

Oklahoma - "closed primary system"


http://www.sos.state.ga.us/elections/elections/voter_information/

Georgia = "open" (i.e. anyone can vote for any primary candidate)

Generally, you'd think that certain bastions of "liberal" thinking like New York and New Jersey would be "open", but the tendency seems to be that where state legislatures have been under the control of a given party, they close the primaries to avoid having unaffiliated voters "tainting" the party primaries. I don't know that there's ever been such a case, but it could be conceivable that if (say) New York allowed crossover votes, in (say) the primary for Senate, all the Democrats, knowing the Hillary is a lock for the nomination, could crossover and nominate Elmer Fudd for the Republicans. I presume this is the logic (along with pure self-serving instinct) behind it.

Interesting case is California.
http://ca.lwv.org/lwvc/edfund/elections/e3primary.html


I don't know how many other states handle it this way, but if I read the LWV site correctly, evidently unaffiliated or independent voters can request the primary ballot of either major party (but not both), if they're interested in voting in that party's primary. Seems a fair system.

[Foolmewunz]

I'm speaking of the National elections. Not state elections.

The national elections are held in the states and run by the states and by the state laws. Thus, the "primary" rules apply to state-wide, city-wide, or national primaries.

[Dustin Kesselberg]

The national elections are held in the states and run by the states and by the state laws. Thus, the "primary" rules apply to state-wide, city-wide, or national primaries.

Is it possible to vote in a state you don't live in simply to vote in the primaries of another party?

How about independents? When you register to vote do you specify your political affiliation? What are the choices generally? If you are an independent can you vote in both primaries?

[Foolmewunz]

Is it possible to vote in a state you don't live in simply to vote in the primaries of another party?

How about independents? When you register to vote do you specify your political affiliation? What are the choices generally? If you are an independent can you vote in both primaries?

First question - no. Only if you move to that state and satisfy whatever the local residency laws are.

Second question - Yes, you state your party affiliation (if any) when you register.

Third question - Democrat, Republican, and various third and fourth parties.

Fourth question - Depends on "open" versus "closed" rules. Click on one of the state links; they put the case pretty coherently, and it'll probably help put it in perspective. Actually - I just re-read your question.... I believe the answer is "No", you can vote in EITHER primary, but not both, I believe... but I could be wrong about that.

[Foolmewunz]

Dustin,
Is all of this linked to the fact that you're a complete "expatriate", i.e. have no formal domicile in the USA?
I live in Hong Kong, but I have a co-op in New York (where my ex-wife is happily entrenched until we both retire and sell it), so I vote in New York elections. I haven't known anyone over here who had no state or local affiliation, mailing address, domicile, or whatever you want to call it.

If that's the case, I'm going to guess they'd consider your last abode, perhaps? But it's something you probably ought to ask the local consulate. I'm sure there are wandering expats in Asia who have the same situation but I'm in a fairly white collar world now, so I haven't encountered any.

ETA:
BTW, the best source of voter registration information is likely The League of Women Voters. They are virtually synonymous with voter registration; it's nearly their raison d'etre. I'm sure they'd be helpful.

[Cylinder]

The national elections are held in the states and run by the states and by the state laws.

Yup - in the US there are no national elections.

[Alt+F4]

How about independents? When you register to vote do you specify your political affiliation? What are the choices generally? If you are an independent can you vote in both primaries?

I live in New York State and am an independent. When I registered I checked the box that said something along the lines of "no party afflication". I can not vote in any primaries.

[Just thinking]

Just to make a point -- I believe one of the main reasons some places do not let registered party individuals (or non-affiliated voters) vote in opposing primaries (Republican voting in a Democrat primary) is to prevent the opposing party from influencing its outcome. In other words, helping get in a candidate that would be less likely to win nationally.

[Skeptic Ginger]

No one can answer my specific questions?In the primary vote, it is governed by state law. Look up the law in your state.

Edited to add, I see this has already been pointed out. In WA State, we have a caucus system (http://www.secstate.wa.gov/office/news_docs/FAQ_-_2008_Presidential_Primary_Final.pdf) to pick party candidates then it switched to primaries but the vote is only advisory and the caucus still picks the candidates. People are upset they can't vote across parties to pick candidates but they forget it is a "party" not a general election. To have people vote across party lines in a primary would be like having a union election and allowing people from other unions to vote in yours.

[WildCat]

You don't register for any party in Illinois, you just ask for a Republican, Democratic, or whatever ballot. But you can only vote in one party's primary.