View Full Version : Voter Registration
Conversation in another thread got me curious to see if we are a predictable lot or if we go against the conventional wisdom. Who is registered how regarding your party affiliation? I registered as independent when I was 18 and have never found any reason to change that beyond occasionally wishing I could better support a candidate in a primary.
I was an Independent until the 1984 primary when I foolishly registered as a Democrat in order to vote for Jesse Jackson in the primaries. In an effort to send a statement, I did an incredibly foolish thing.
The following primary season, I came to my senses and registered as Republican, vowing never to engage in identity politics again.
ApatheticNoMore
2-16-12, 2:45pm
Think I was actually registered R for a couple of years when I was 18. Not my proudest moment by far, youthful indescretions (though like I said I'd do it temporarily for Paul or something.). Been indepedent ever since, am happy with that. I was really both too cynical and too idealistic too soon when I originally became indepedent. I would get disgusted about the most mundane things like politicans breaking their promises (as if that wasn't what politicians do by their very nature).
But the country has sadly degraded in such a way as to make me proud to be indepedent, though I'd be a proud Green party member or something too. Money has infiltrated and totally corrupted the political system and both parties really are two heads of the same beast now (not that there aren't a few good people in politics, but they are the minority). Being an empire has probably also corrupted the country perhaps irrevocably (but that path was set on decades ago wasn't it? when the powers that be decided to conquer the world for oil rather than try for something better ...).
Started out a republican when very young, then independent. I have voted for both sides, nationally and locally. I really try to pick who I think is the best person for the job.
I was an Independent until the 1984 primary when I foolishly registered as a Democrat in order to vote for Jesse Jackson in the primaries.
Oh Alan, even after all the great conversations we've had you still have the power to surprise me! :0!
Independent, and I change party affiliation if I want to vote in primaries if the primaries are not open in that state. When we moved here, I re-registered independent.
I have voted both republican and democrat, as well as green and independent. Most of the latter were in local elections. The greens did a good job in our township, finally slowing suburban sprawl and creating jobs and a better tax base to support our school. Our prior group of republicans had focused on creating our township as a bedroom community with large shopping strip malls, which created a huge load on our tax base, which forced us to have increased taxes over time.
The democrats had some platform about education that year, but the greens had a process wherein they wanted to build office buildings in park settings which would attract companies to the area and help fill-out the tax base as well as maintain much of the green space in our neighborhood.
When we moved there, it was a small town with farms and several golf courses. Then, several farms were sold to strip malls and bedroom communities. Finally, farms were put into trust and several of the farms not trust-available or whatever were zoned for office parks. Then, the passed tax incentive to build these office parks and bring in businesses.
This was very successful indeed, as it brought several large businesses out of philadelphia and other more expensive office blocks, put them into these lovely park-like settings, and the green spaces around these buildings also had "public use" spaces such as paved trails, gardens, and related.
They actually did a great job, and the schools are now covered mostly by business (strip malls and office parks), and they were able to reduce taxes on individuals/property so that the burden wasn't as great on the average citizen.
It was a really good idea. So I voted and campaigned for them. I also went to a lot of the meetings, and advocated for many different elements.
So, yeah, I'm involved.
Oh Alan, even after all the great conversations we've had you still have the power to surprise me! :0!
Evolution is not a painless process. :|(
I have been a registered voter since I was 18 years - registered as Republican, but have voted - wait for it - democrat on occasion (gasp).
DW is a registered democrat - and like me crosses the line on occasion and votes Republican. Ha, I just noticed I type Republican with a capital and democrat all in lower case. Hmmm!
Conversation in another thread got me curious to see if we are a predictable lot or if we go against the conventional wisdom. Who is registered how regarding your party affiliation? I registered as independent when I was 18 and have never found any reason to change that beyond occasionally wishing I could better support a candidate in a primary.
Ditto this.
The only R's I ever voted for were a small county Sheriff & our long time, now retired state Secretary. I vote mostly for D's, and the occasional Independent, Green, or Communist candidate. I guess I am registered D... Don't recall!
Registered Independent, which is the fastest growing voter registration category in AZ. We're now almost about 1/3 Democrat, 1/3 Republican, and 1/3 Independent.
loosechickens
2-17-12, 12:49am
I was more or less "naturally" Republican when young, since my family had been Republican since the days of Abraham Lincoln.....and engaged in my first "Republican Rally" in 4th grade, when we had a mock election, and I had to run home at lunchtime to ask my mom which party I should be.....she said "we like Ike"......so from then on I was Republican.....
When a young adult, I worked for the woman who was a major Republican donor and hostess in Washington DC, so continued to take for granted that I was a Republican.......right through voting for Nixon in 1968 ;-(
I stayed a registered Republican after that, although more and more I found myself voting for Democrats, but by that time I had moved to PA, and most local elections were completely decided by the primaries since it was (and is) a heavily Republican area, so if you wanted to have a say about county commissioners, sheriff, judges, etc., you'd better be voting Republican, because the only choices were what was on the ballot in the Republican primary.
Finally, after several years in Mexico and Central America, when we came back to the states and domiciled in Texas while living nomadically, I changed my voter registration to Texas, and changed the party to Democrat. Of course, voting in Texas, I don't think I've ever voted for anyone who won, hahahahaha, at least at the state level, and for President, not with TX electoral votes, so I vote every election, and my vote goes down the toilet because Texas is such a red state.
If the Republican Party had stayed where it was, instead of having moved rightward right out from under me, I'd probably still be a Republican. When I really examine President Obama and his views and outlook, they resemble an Eisenhower era Republican much more than the "leftie" he is painted to be.
But, even Barry Goldwater would be considered a liberal today, the party has moved so far to the right. The "mainstream" of the Republican Party is about where the John Birch Society was not so long ago.......
I think if I were registering today, I'd probably register Independent, because although I find more in common with Democrats than Republicans these days, I'd prefer not to identify with either.
What pushed ME over the edge to change from Republican registration to Democrat was the ascendancy within the Republican Party of the fundamentalist Christians and social conservatives. I am pro-choice, pro gay rights, pro marriage equality, etc., and those views have no place in the Republican Party of today, sadly. And with the reality that a social conservative at the level of Rick Santorum could be a serious candidate for President of the United States, don't think I'll be looking to be a Republican again in this lifetime.
true that, lc.
it's another problem -- that 'theocon' and social conservative ideology has nothing to do with the constitution, or for that matter the founding fathers and mothers. it is just ridiculous.
and, it is another reason why i am hard pressed to vote for them. Not only are they currently not about small, efficient, basically isolationist government (like the original Tea Party which was libertarians and 'traditional' conservatives), but they are also actively against the constitution in these basic equal rights/civil liberty matters that is the foundation of the "strict constructionist" ideology that they *say* that they espouse.
It's unbelievable!
I'm sure I registered as a republican but probably vote democrat more often than not. This is a huge republican area and sometimes its fun to ask for a democratic ticket just to make the old lady volunteers give me the evil eye look.
Former Republican turned registered Independant and voted Democrat in the last 2 elections (Kerry, Obama) although McCain had me at "hello" until he got that hockey-mom from heck (don't cha know) :-)!.
I was an Independent until the 1984 primary when I foolishly registered as a Democrat in order to vote for Jesse Jackson in the primaries. In an effort to send a statement, I did an incredibly foolish thing.
Heck even us liberal (on certain issues, conservative on others) independants/democrats would think that was a foolish thing to do :-)!
Heck even us liberal (on certain issues, conservative on others) independants/democrats would think that was a foolish thing to do :-)!
It actually transcended foolish and left a lasting pain. :sick:
Jesse's finest moment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPy2alWEZ-U
It actually transcended foolish and left a lasting pain. :sick:
Don't be too hard on yourself Alan. I once knew a beautiful girl with the prettiest brown eyes who was enamored with Jimmy Carter's sweater wearin', peanut farmin' style. Because of my infatuation I will forever bare the cross of having voted for Carter over Reagan in 1980. If only I'd have known then...
loosechickens
2-23-12, 12:13pm
Hey, I voted for Richard Nixon........not to worry.......
It actually transcended foolish and left a lasting pain. :sick:
Well it could have been worse - he could have won and then you'd only have yourself to blame - and we'd make sure to blame you too :devil:
Don't be too hard on yourself Alan. I once knew a beautiful girl with the prettiest brown eyes who was enamored with Jimmy Carter's sweater wearin', peanut farmin' style. Because of my infatuation I will forever bare the cross of having voted for Carter over Reagan in 1980. If only I'd have known then...
I had a boyfriend at the time that Carter was running and he was convinced that every woman in America would vote for him because (and I quote) "He's so good looking and charming that women can't resist" (good looking? ???huh????). This is Harvard educated PhD - a guy who is now a Dr. of Divinity & Theology at Boston U. Well he wasn't a BF for too long after that comment :-)! I stuck with Reagan myself since he gave me a 25% pay increase (military) when he was in office!
I voted for Carter and would do it all over again. Possibly the last truly honest and forward-thinking man we had in the White House -- which is why he takes so much flak. The 80's ushered in a whole new era of detestable politics.
Always registered as a Democrat, though I considered registering as an independent about 10 years ago. Sadly, Maryland Republicans lack the sense to run candidates that might actually get elected. Their counterparts in New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts seem to manage this feat, and have competitive elections.
I'm open to registering as a Green at some point in the future.
ApatheticNoMore
2-23-12, 5:17pm
I voted for Carter and would do it all over again. Possibly the last truly honest and forward-thinking man we had in the White House -- which is why he takes so much flak.
+1
I definitely wasn't old enough to vote then, but very possibly Carter was the last honest man to have been president (if there were any in the 20th century). We would have a smaller deficit for sure and might have made the correct choices in handling America's peak oil crisis (U.S. oil peaked in the 70s). We wouldn't be in this state of crisis. If conservation and alternative energy had been pursued instead of empire .... the U.S. wouldn't be fighting several wars at present. If empire hadn't been pursued, terrorism would be less of a threat, the response to terrorism would be less, and thus the loss of civil liberties on the home front perhaps less. If empire hadn't been pursued it would be easier to balance the budget. If fiscal sanity had been pursued instead of deficits ... we wouldn't be near dollar crisis, borrowing massively, possibly needing the wars just to maintain the currency.
Meanwhile while the military was getting 25% pay increases under Reagan I guess, my dad worried a little about keeping his job (medical research that got government grants).
I have no one to really apologize for voting for, maybe Bob Dole, but ... ehhh ... Bob Dole is too boring to apologize for, I mean really, who can get excited about him one way or other? (and I forget if I was even old enough to vote then, may have been the case I actually voted for him in high school civics class rather than the polls!) I voted Gore and Kerry (over Bush W - I have no apologies). I do deeply regret getting my Mom to vote for Obama in the primaries. Obama has been a disaster. But I really think at this point the game is rigged anyway (Obama proved that and so ironically I actually have Obama to thank for that revelation! Everyone thought everything would change after W was gone, and nothing did). Noone can win the presidency who isn't corrupt to the core.
+1
Meanwhile while the military was getting 25% pay increases under Reagan I guess, my dad worried a little about keeping his job (medical research that got government grants).
Well you do have to remember that most in the military - especially those deployed for long periods of time - are working pretty much 24/7/365 with very few breaks. I was getting about $800/month including all allowances at the time yet work well above 100 hours/week for months at a time. I didn't get to go home at night - I had to stay and work even though I worked all day. I didn't get to go home on weekends or even get off - had to work then too even if I worked all week long already. I didn't get to go home for holidays or see my family - had to work then too. So I guess if I figured it out, that was probably 10 cents an hour - maybe less. Reagan just even up the playing field a very small amount for most service people. Civilian can get second jobs or even third jobs if needed and still be able to spend some time with your families or have some free time, those in the service can't - and we don't get paid overtime - ever.
Pre-Reagan (Ford) military pay grades per month. I guess this makes it even less than 10 cents/hour.
1976 Enlisted Basic Military Pay ChartPay Grade Years of Service
Less than 2 Over 2 Over 3 Over 4 Over 6
E-9
E-8
E-7 596.70 643.80 667.80 691.20 715.20
E-6 515.40 561.90 585.30 609.60 632.70
E-5 452.40 492.60 516.30 538.80 573.90
E-4 435.00 459.30 486.00 524.10 544.50
E-3 418.20 441.30 459.00 477.00 477.00
E-2 402.60 402.60 402.60 402.60 402.60
E-1 361.20 361.20 361.20 361.20 361.20
After the pay increases of 1981 an 1982 (25% total) basic pay for an E-1 was still just around $550. It's a sad state of affairs when military member's families must get welfare aid and food stamps to survive even today. It's quite common. 2012 pay rates are better - an E-1 starts at approx. $1491/month
I consider Carter a man who's too good for the White House. He's done so much more for the country -- for the world -- since taking on a private role in diplomacy, that I am secretly glad the country was too stupid, self-absorbed, and closed-minded to elect him again.
And I don't agree that Obama has been a disaster, though there are certainly some places where I wish he'd had more support in Congress and/or had taken a different direction.
But considering the alternatives we had in 2008, I have no illusions about not having gotten the better end of THAT deal. Can you imagine the freaking disaster we'd be in if the McCain/Palin ticket had prevailed? Holy cow.
I count my blessings every day, do my part, vote my values, and pray that cooler, wiser, fairer minds will prevail "next time". It's all I've got these days.
Meanwhile while the military was getting 25% pay increases under Reagan I guess, my dad worried a little about keeping his job (medical research that got government grants).
I wish that was true. I could have used the money.
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/militarypay/a/historicalpay.htm
goldensmom
2-24-12, 9:52am
I am not a registered anything and vote however I feel at the time. I do, however, have to declare a party to vote in primaries but that declaration can change from election to election. Looking forward to this year's primary.
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