Posted: 5/13/2008 5:21:32 AM EDT
Went to the polls this morning before work (Got several strange looks as it was 37 degrees and I was riding  ) But I got a good parking spot right beside the front door  When I found the proper district's table, I always go to the wrong one first, they lady asked me "How are you voting today?" It kind of caught me off guard, and I wasn't quite sure how to answer. I replied with a smart-assed/joking answer of: "Well, I guess on one of those fancy electronic machines over thar', ma'am." She returned, "No, I'm sorry. I mean, are you voting Dem or Rep?"    Can you just decide, on the day of the election, how you're going to vote? I thought you had to vote how you registered. Have I just missed this question over the years? Or is it something new?? |
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Up until this year, if you were registered Independent you could only vote in the Republican primary. This year the Democrats have also opened their primary to the Independents. Since I'm a registered Republican, it doesn't matter; I only get "choices" in the President and Attorney General primaries. Oh, and the zoning ordinance - gotta vote against that so that Valley Guns can open another range. |
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Oh, I understand that as a registered Republican, that I only have the "choices" to select/vote for Republicans... But, she seemed to insinuate that, if I wanted to, I could have voted on the Democratic ticket....???? Maybe I misunderstood, but, that's sure the impression that I got |
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No problems for me this morning, signed my name, lady looked in the book for the party, punched it in the machine and away I went. I kinda like the republican ticket here, not really any choices, usually one person running or a no canadate filed. As far as I know, in the primary you vote with your registered party, general election you can split ticket. |
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Well, I think I figured out what my "issue" was... I think I may be registered as an Independent. This marks the very first primary election that Independents could vote on the Democratic ticket. I think, after all these years of just recieving a Republican ticket when I went to vote... I just assumed I was registered as a Republican  As an aside, I think I LIKE having the option to choose which party in which I would like to cast my vote... As jnk556 pointed out, there's rarely much of a "race" to vote on anyway in the R primary, so why not vote on the D ticket and try to make a difference there? 
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It sure as heck ain't me. And, though it galls me to admit it, I'm going to have to change my affiliation from GOP to Independent. There's just not enough choices on the GOP ballot, many races where only one person filed, and others where they couldn't even field a candidate. |
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I got that question here in Fairfax County, VA when I voted in the primary. Threw me for a loop, too, having to state out loud which side I was on. We can vote for whichever party we want, our machines were set up for each party--machines with Republican candidates, and machines with the Democratic ones. Everyone laughed when I said "Republican." |