PARTY AFFILIATION

Thank you Dottie. Among the many post election comments that I received at my blog and those that I have read on other blogs was one from Dottie Gutenkauf , Plainfield's astute political maven.

Most so-called "Independents" are really unaffiliated voters who didn't identify a party affiliation when they registered and haven't voted in a party primary. If they go to the polling place on primary day to vote in a party primary, they are identifying themselves as members of that party.

The term "Independents" is often used to describe "unaffiliated" voters, but it's misleading and I'm sorry people do it. You can register as a real Independent if you choose to--but then you won't be able to vote in any of the major party primaries.

In Plainfield, most of the unaffiliated voters who go to the polls in November vote for the Democratic candidates. And many Republicans have registered as Democrats so they can vote in Democratic primaries hoping to choose the Democratic nominee. (I'm not making this up--many people have told me they have done this but that they vote for the Republican candidates for state and national office in November.)

An "open" primary is one in which voters, no matter what their party affiliation is, can vote for any candidate regardless of party. We don't have that in New Jersey, but we don't have what would be termed a "closed" primary either--that's the kind where you have to declare a party affiliation before the primary.

The points that Dottie makes are important and define a uniqueness that makes New Jersey Democracy better than that of many other states. The Jersey law states:

• *If you are a registered member of the Green Party, Libertarian Party, Natural Law Party, Reform Party, or U.S. Constitution Party, you cannot vote in either the Democratic or Republican Primary.
• **If you are a previously affiliated voter who becomes unaffiliated, you must file the declaration form no later than 50 days before the primary in order to vote in either primary.
• Declaration must be filed no later then 50 days proceeding the primary in which the voter wishes to vote.
• A newly registered voter, an unaffiliated voter or a voter who has never voted in a primary election, can affiliate with the Democratic or Republican Party on the day of the primary.
• A person affiliated with a political party can change that affiliation up to 50 days before the primary.
  

These provision affords a citizen the ability to have an impact on local elections where one party overwhelmingly dominates the local general election results.It does not prevent them from voting for a candidate at the general election whose party line represents their national interests.

This differentiates them from a true Independent who also understands the need for a local party affiliation although his state and national voting is not based on party lines but for the one he feels best qualified irrespective of party. Their reason for switching party affiliation is to prevent them from being effectively disfranchised at the local level. That Dottie is good citizenship.

The danger in an open primary is the potential for large numbers of one political party voting in the other's primary to nominate a candidate who is weak and would represent no threat to their own candidate. That may be "good politics but it is dirty pool". This has happened where it has been permitted.