[Moderating]
Believe it or don’t, we have Doper Republicans here and even truth does not excuse insulting fellow Dopers.
Still, Der Trihs, thanks for a good laugh. 
No warning issued.
[/Moderating]
Not that Der Trihs is going to mistake you for a moderator, but please don’t do this again.
I am one of the founding members of the Socialist Equality Party because a friend is a devout socialist and you need some certain number of paid up members to remain a “legitimate” political party.
Surprisingly I regularly have to fill out shit to prove that I am a member of my own free will.
I used to contribute to Greenpeace because they get no government funding, despite the fact that I disliked many of their actions.
I joined the Democratic Party in 1980 just so I could cast a vote for Ted Kennedy in the Michigan caucus. At that time, there was no Democratic primary. You just went to party headquarters, showed your membership, got your ballot, and dropped it in one of two boxes. One was under a big photo of Kennedy, the other was under a big photo of Carter.
As a candidate last year I had to commit to being a member of the Democratic Party. I attend meetings and participate in planning and other activities, both electoral and policy-oriented.
Prior to that I’ve been a registered D as a primary voter but not active otherwise.
Yeah. I’m a card-carrying Democrat. I’m involved in the local stuff, too. You’re right about dry and boring meetings, but I’m also fervently trying to change that stuff.
Why them? I can give you a lot of nice-sounding reasons, but, really, their set of beliefs and morals tend to align best with mine.
This is more of a poll than a debate.
Off to IMHO.
I’ve been an independent since day one, but Robin is a participant in the local Democratic Party. You’d have to get her reasons from her, I find them typically unconvincing. Perhaps if one were running for office and needed to avail themselves of the nominating apparatus it would be a good reason, but otherwise it seems silly to me.
I joined the Labour Party early - around 15 IIRC. I stayed an active member for a while, becoming my local party secretary with plans for more. The party then moved very much to the center, and I stayed on the left. We ended up with little in common, and I didn’t renew my membership.
I joined because I was an activist, and even got the stage of running local campaigns. I like to think I didn’t leave the party, the party left me.
And I’m not and have never been a member of any political party. There is no party with which I agree enough to actually become a member of.
Yes, UPN. It gives me easier access to that local party, which is the one I usually but not always vote for. I agree with their principles and like being consulted directly on how to implement them and having a better chance than most people at giving the bosses an earful when they deserve it.
I used to be a member of the Green Party, but had to leave over the mumia thing. Now I am a card carrying member of the Libertarian Party.
I have always been a member of the Youth International Party.
I’ve registered as both Democrat and Republican, in each case because I wanted to vote in a primary. I usually identify as Democrat. And I need to renew my NOW membership. NOW does, in fact, send out a card, and I always carry mine.
I was a member of the Libertarian Party for a while, and at that time they did issue membership cards so I was literally a card-carrying member. I stopped because it seemed like a waste of time and money when they never won anything.
I have never been a member of any party. But a few years ago I went to vote and one of the poll ladies told the other poll lady I was a Republican so she should give me the Republican ballot. I told her I was not a Republican or a Democrat either. She showed me her paperwork that said I was a Republican, and told me if that was in error I should call the Board of Elections, which I did the next morning. They told me I had to wait for an entire “cycle” to pass and it would “drop off” my name. I sent them a certified letter demanding they correct my records and send me a confirmation that they had done so. They did.
Oops I only voted for Bush sr in his reelection bid, I thought he was getting unfairly burned for being fiscally responsible. Of course no other republican has made the same mistake again.
My dad donated to some Republican causes back in the '90s and they sent him a similar card. Also for years, he got a ton of political junk mail and conservative newsletters (think what Free Republic would be like if it were a newspaper).
Anyway, he now considers himself an independent and voted for Obama in '08
Airman Doors is Batman!
I change party registration as needed in order to have an impact on a given primary. But I can’t remember ever having a card, per se.
I am a registered Democrat in Washington DC, and I have a card somewhere. I registered as a Democrat so I can vote in the primary, which in DC is often the defacto election since the city is something like 90% Democrat.