Two Virginia legislators have introduced HB 806, to provide that the voter registration form ask applicants to choose a party, or to choose independent status. The authors are L. Scott Lingamfelter (R-Woodbridge) and R. Steven Landers (R-Verona).
The bill is deficient, because it says that independents cannot vote in party primaries. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1986 in Tashjian v Republican Party of Connecticut that each party with a primary has the right to decide for itself whether to let independents vote in its primary. The bill should acknowledge this, and should set out procedures for parties to notify the State Board of Elections whether they wish independents to vote in their primaries or not.
The bill is also deficient because it doesn’t permit applicants to register into an unqualified party. This is especially important in Virginia, because Virginia’s definition of “political party” is so strict that only the Democratic and Republican Parties have been qualified for the last 18 years. The only other states for which that is true are Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New Hampshire. Thanks to Bill Redpath for the news about the bill.
Very interesting. Personally I do prefer party registration.
There are advantages and disadvantages. Having partisan registration creates a very valuable list, from the point of view of political parties, major and minor alike.
On the other hand, having partisan registration can make it more difficult for candidates to get themselves on primary ballots, because typically when states have partisan registration, and require petitions for candidates to get on primary ballots, the states then say only registered members can sign. So primary petitioning becomes more more difficult.
Wake up folks.
ALL registration lists are PURGE lists.
The top hacks do NOT like each other — eg Clinton v. Trump
The USA is now akin to the nearly dead left vs. right Roman Republic in 120 BC – 27 BC
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NO party hack lists.
NO primaries.
SECRET nominating petitions — now needed for the same reason as having SECRET votes –
to STOP the terror (threats and purges) from the robot party hacks.
P.R. and nonpartisan App.V.
Bit more – VA had the first minority rule gerrymander regime —
gerrymander plantation areas along the James River — circa 1618 first gerrymander election —
almost 400 years of EVIL minority rule regimes in what is now the U.S.A.
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P.R. and nonpartisan App.V.
Do any countries other than the USA have party registration?