It’s a common misconception, but if you registered “Independent Party” you aren’t “independent” you are a member of your state’s Independent party, who has a platform and agenda you may or may not agree with. What you actually want is called an “unaffiliated” voter status. The good news is, all you have to do is…nothing!

LA Times had a good summary a few years back: https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-american-independent-party-california-registration-card-20180405-story.html

You don’t need to register with any party to show you don’t like R or D, do nothing or choose "unaffiliated if you want to be “little i independent”.

Examples:

#USA #politics----

  • snooggums@midwest.social
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    6 months ago

    I did this accidentally when first voting, found out after a few years and had the hardest time convincing the person at the DMV when updating my license when moving that I was not a member of any party. It is like trying to answer ‘none’ when someone asks for my favorite team/drink/food/music/whatever.

      • snooggums@midwest.social
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        6 months ago

        In my state you can renew your voter registration at the DMV in renewing or updating your license when your address changes.

      • dingdongmetacarples@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        I’m some states you can register to vote at the DMV when doing some other DMV things. Not sure why they’d give this person a hard time though.

    • Serinus@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      But also you should generally just pick a primary to vote in. You are voting in primaries, right?

      • snooggums@midwest.social
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        6 months ago

        Nope. I really dislike both parties that are going to win. It doesn’t matter who is the candidate for either party because at the national level my district will always go Republican anyway for representative, senators, and president.

        I only vote to vote against Republicans and tell myself that maybe my vote mattered for some random local position. No interest in actually keeping up with the mediocre Democratic candidates, and trying to influence the Republican party is useless because my fellow idiots still keep absolutely obvious villains like Kobach back in power. Not worth getting harassed by fundraisers.

        • Serinus@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          I don’t like Republicans either, but I still vote in the Republican primary. You have a duty to yourself and your country to vote.

          If you don’t vote, you’re just allowing others to choose for you. How do you think that’s gonna go?

          • snooggums@midwest.social
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            6 months ago

            I do vote, just not in the primaries. My stste requires me to be a member of a party to vote in their primary.

            There is no chance in hell that I will be a registered Republican to vote in their primary, and the Dems aren’t worth the effort here.

      • Ranvier@sopuli.xyz
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        6 months ago

        Some states have open primaries, you just vote in whatever one you want. Not every state requires registering with a party to vote in the primary.