registered independent
No matter what my political opinions might be at the moment, or who might be running for what party, I would never register as an independent. In this state, as in most states, an independent can not vote in a primary election. This is a real loss, since in many areas, most elections are decided in the primaries. When I was in college, my official residence (for voting purposes) was in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a well-to-do area about 90 percent Republican. No Democrat ever got elected to anything there, and if you were not registered as a Republican you couldn't vote in the primary. Since I wanted to vote against Rep. Francis Walter, the chairman of the House Unamerican Activities Committee, I registered as a Republican, although I had every intention to vote for the Democrat candidate for president (JFK) in the general election.
The situation is reversed in Maryland, where I live. Republicans hardly every get elected to anything in Baltimore, but there are Republicans trying to, and it matters which Republicans win nomination in the primary election. Registered Republicans and Democrats get to pick their respective candidates in the primaries and can then vote for whichever they like in the general election, but independents have to choose from the candidates the others have picked.
