John McCain’s campaign has sent out a press release that includes a copy of Sarah Palin’s voter registration in early 1982, shortly after she turned 18 on February 11, 1982. She registered “Republican.” However, the Alaskan Independence Party was not a qualified party at that time, and it was not listed as a choice on voter registration records. It won a lawsuit on March 4, 1983, called Vogler v Miller. The decision, from the Alaska Supreme Court, struck down the old Alaska definition of “political party” (a group that had polled 10% for Governor). The state then recognized the Alaskan Independence Party and began letting voters register into it.

It is not known if Palin later changed her registration from “Republican” to “Alaskan Independence”. Old-time leaders of the Alaskan Independence Party say she was a member before 1996.

On September 1, the Republican National Convention approved the party’s rules for future presidential primary dates. The 2012 rules are barely changed from the 2008 rules. New Hampshire and South Carolina may hold late January presidential primaries. Iowa and Nevada may hold caucuses in early January. Other primaries (if they are binding, and not beauty contests) may state in March. See this story.

In October 2006, when Sarah Palin was the Republican nominee for Governor, she participated in a 5-person debate with her Democratic, Green, Libertarian, and independent opponents. There were actually six candidates for Governor on the November 2006 ballot. The 6th candidate, Alaskan Independence Party nominee Don Wright, was also invited into the debate. However, he did not make an appearance. The November 1 2006 paper issue of Ballot Access News has a comprehensive listing of all the instances at which minor party and independent candidates for Governor and U.S. Senate were able to debate their major party opponents during the 2006 campaign season.

Perhaps there will be an opportunity for “Rock the Debates” activists to ask Sarah Palin if she will debate any of her minor party opponents for vice-president, when she debates Joe Biden. Although presumably John McCain already signed an agreement with the Commission on Presidential Debates that he will not participate in any debates except the exclusionary Commission Debates, it is unlikely that Palin has signed any such agreement.

Palin also appears pro-minor party in her speech welcoming the Alaskan Independence Party state convention to Fairbanks in 2008. She says, “Competition is so good; and that applies to political parties as well.”

In this clip, Alaskan Independence Party leader Dexter Clark is heard making a speech to athe 2008 AIP state convention). The clip is 9 minutes long. At six minutes and 15 seconds into the clip, Clark says that Palin was once a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, in the period before she ran for Wasilla City Council.