A True Story: What happens if you're unaffiliated.

a reply to: diggindirt

Apparently you're newly registered as "unaffiliated" since this has been standard practice for years in most states.
Is it fair? I think not since all taxpayers pay for the elections to be held but only registered donkeys or elephants can participate

EXACTLY!

I also "think not" ----

No, it is not fair - and that is my point. I've been registered as "unaffliiated" ever since I registered at all - 37 years ago.

originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
How does that serve the independent/third party supporters????
If we ALL went to the polling place - and got turned away because we have to subscribe to one side or the other - how is that "fair elections"?

Why should someone who is not a member of a party be entitled to any say in who is a candidate for that party??

originally posted by: Aloysius the Gaul

originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
How does that serve the independent/third party supporters????
If we ALL went to the polling place - and got turned away because we have to subscribe to one side or the other - how is that "fair elections"?

Why should someone who is not a member of a party be entitled to any say in who is a candidate for that party??

I'm honestly not trying to be insulting when I say this, but I think the OP is just a bit confused about the difference between a primary and an election and what exactly those differences mean.

In hopes of making it clearer for them:

Primaries do NOT determine who gets to run for office. Only individual choice and eligibility rules determine that. Primaries determine what banner a person running for office can fly. If you want to run for office, no primary can stop you. But if you run for office and want to carry a republican flag, or a democrat flag, you need the blessing of the republicans, or the democrats respectively.

The argument I'm hearing is that since a primary determines who represents the party, everyone should have a say, because that determines who we can vote for. But that isn't the case. Primaries do not determine who we can vote for, they determine what candidate is allowed to be affiliated with what party.

Like I said before, if your family got together and decided one of you should run for office, and you all decided on yourself, why should some random person off the street be able to come in and say "I want a say in who your family chooses"

It's basically the same thing as you saying you deserve the right to vote on whether a person is allowed to run for office. You don't and shouldn't have that right. If I want to run for office, and I fulfill the requirements, you or anybody else doesn't have a right to vote and say "no, you can't run" you do have the right to say "no, you can't win" by casting a vote of "no" at the election.

a reply to: James1982

And yet. . . I've voted across party lines before.

Sometimes the better candidate is from another "family".

I knew that. I'm registered as an independent so yeah. I don't get any primary votes either. Too embaressed to be affiliated with Democrats or Republicans. Its sad, because I tend to be liberal on most things, but they keep raising taxes and doing stupid stuff...but as I get older, I am becoming more conservative in some things, but the republicans are even worse than the democrats! LOL meh

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

It's perfectly fair in a primary.

I just got back from voting. I voted on the other issues.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: BuzzyWigs

It's perfectly fair in a primary.

I just got back from voting. I voted on the other issues.

How is it fair that the local board of elections must pay for these party elections?
Why not have the parties pony up for the costs of their decisions?
In our state (KY) the local board of elections is on the hook for all election costs. The money to pay for them comes from all taxpayers, not from party coffers. If you party people want to hold elections you should pay for them, not those of us who have no input. That would be fair.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

The lady said - "You can't vote - you're not affiliated with the party".

Yes when they told us that we no longer vote. We will not be herded!

a reply to: BuzzyWigs


www.learnnc.org...

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

Don't vote? Fine. Talk to the hand....Then you cant complain when things are screwed up. So shut up about and deal with things the next time youre ticked off...

originally posted by: mysterioustranger
a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

Don't vote? Fine. Talk to the hand....Then you cant complain when things are screwed up. So shut up about and deal with things the next time youre ticked off...

I can complain about whatever the hell I want. I still have freedom of speech, so come and try to stop me.

You fail to realize that the two party system is a fraud. If everyone would wake up and stop voting, THEY wouldnt have any momentum for their political drama.

Its the voters who prop up the illusion.

a reply to: diggindirt

As I said, the primary wasn't the only thing to be voted on. We had several tax issues also on the ballot.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

Wow. You should run for office

a reply to: mysterioustranger

You should vote for me.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

No, it is not fair

It is 100% completely fair. Think of a political party as a club, if you aren't part of the club why should you be allowed to vote on who their leader is?

I'm not part of the NRA...so I don't expect that I should have any vote at all on any of their decisions.

Political parties are not part of the government, them telling you that you have to be a member does not infringe on any of your rights.

If you really want to vote for one of the primary candidates, join the party...no one is stopping you from doing that.

a reply to: ketsuko
On what ballot?

Was it a ballot for a party to decide what tack they should take on those measures perhaps??

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Just Sign Up as a Democrat,
and then Vote Republican.

Or Vice Versa and/or Otherwise.
If it suits your fancy.

Seriously Though, the "woman" who
"Screened" your husband was overstepping her bounds.

She was only authorized to verify that a person is
permissible to vote in the District that she was assigned to.

Your husband would have been wise to speak to her appointed
superior, or at least document the event for the evening news.

S&F

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

if you don't want to vote for someone, at least go and vote AGAINST an incumbent

a reply to: calstorm

Yes, I did that for the Ron Paul primary - switched to Republican. Then, instead of a "primary" they had a "caucus."
I didn't make it to the caucus.

I switched back to unaffiliated for the general - and voted for who I wanted to.

(I've been voting for over 45 years, just to clarify to members. I am not "newly unaffiliated", and I knew that primaries were for certain parties - but why did they send us an invitation? That's the part that bugs me. That they encouraged us to come to that address on that date to vote. And once arrived, you have to now show your ID and then switch to a party real quick...sure, it can be done - as I stated above, I've done it - but it's ridiculous. How much money was spent sending the postcards?)

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

You fail to realize that the two party system is a fraud. If everyone would wake up and stop voting, THEY wouldnt have any momentum for their political drama.

I've thought of that (for the 2012 mess), and looked into it.
If NO ONE votes, then Congress gets to pick! Ghaa!!